Quest for the Energy Stones
by Chronicler of the Great Valley
Summary: A Land Before Time/Bionicle crossover. The villages of Mata Nui are brought to the Great Valley by an unknown force. When Makuta follows, it's up to the gang and their new friend Takua to find the Energy Stones to save the valley.
1. Prologue

**Quest for the Energy Stones**

**Prologue**

Morning came to the island of Mata Nui. All across the island's six villages, Matoran woke up to prepare for another day of hard work. Before they could get to their work this morning, however, they gathered in the centers of their villages. The Turaga, the elders of each village, had a meeting the previous day and needed to inform their villages of the subject of their discussion, a new and strange prophecy.

In the village of Ta-Koro, one Matoran was sleeping against a wall. He slept here because he didn't really have a place in this village to stay. His name was Takua. Although he was Ta-Matoran, he wasn't accepted much by the other Ta-Matoran. Takua always loved to travel, often traveling from village to village and occasionally collecting a souvenir. However, his love of traveling had caused most Ta-Matoran to have very little trust in him. They did not like to travel and feared that his adventurous ways would bring them bad luck. In fact, they had so little trust in him that it was possible that he would soon be banished from Ta-Koro.

As Takua slept, one guardsman walked by and noticed him. He shook Takua awake and said, "Wake up! Turaga Vakama has returned from his meeting and has an important announcement to make."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," said Takua, still a little sleepy. He grabbed his backpack and headed for the center of Ta-Koro. His backpack held all of the things he had collected on his travels, so he almost always held onto it. Takua soon arrived at the crowd of Ta-Matoran gathered in the center of the village. Compared to the other Ta-Matoran, even his appearance made him seem like an outcast. A Ta-Matoran's mask had a color of either black, red, orange, or yellow. Takua's mask was light blue. After so many travels, he still had not yet found out where he truly belonged, despite the fact that he considered Ta-Koro his home.

As Takua arrived, he saw Turaga Vakama stand up before the Ta-Matoran, signifying that the meeting was about to begin. In his hand, he held a stone tablet, the subject of this meeting.

"Fellow Ta-Matoran," he announced, "I have returned from my meeting with the other Turaga with urgent news. A new prophecy has been revealed to us, one that even I have doubts for. It states that the six villages, along with all of the Matoran, shall be brought to another universe, a universe where unknown objects of power lie hidden." He was silent for a few seconds before continuing. "I am uncertain of when this prophecy may come true, but we must be prepared for when it may happen."

"How will we prepare for this, Turaga?" asked one Ta-Matoran.

"I am uncertain," replied Vakama. "If and when this prophecy does come true, the best solution we have agreed upon is that all of the Matoran are to remain inside the villages at all times. This is because we are uncertain of what kind of universe we may end up in. It could be even more dangerous than what we are already facing these days."

Stay inside the village forever? This was something Takua would not let happen. He was about to say something in protest when suddenly, the sky began to seemingly get brighter and brighter. The Matoran shielded their eyes from the blinding light.

"Turaga, what's happening?" asked one Ta-Matoran.

"Mata Nui!" exclaimed Vakama. "The prophecy is coming true already!"

The light continued to grow brighter. After a few seconds, the light began to fade. Eventually, the bright flash of light vanished. The village of Ta-Koro, along with all of the Matoran within the village, was nowhere to be seen. It was as if the village was never there. If there had been an observer outside the village, he would have seen a large beam of light come from a particular point in the sky and shine onto the entire village. The same event had just happened to all of the other villages of Mata Nui; multiple beams of light had come from one point in the sky and shone onto the villages. Nobody in this universe could have possibly known what would happen to the villages and the Matoran within them.


	2. A Mysterious Event

**Chapter 1**

**A Mysterious Event**

It was early morning in the Great Valley. Littlefoot had just finished his breakfast and was now on his way to meet up with his friends. As he walked, he couldn't help but think about the strange changes that had occurred over the last few days. At one side of the valley, all plant life had disappeared, leaving behind a barren desert of sand and rock. At the other side of the valley, so much plant life had grown that it had become a swamp where no one dared to go. At the Thundering Falls, a giant lake had formed, forcing a few to move their nests to higher ground. Between the lake and the swamp, the Smoking Mountain had become more active, and flowing fire now continuously flowed from it as if it were fast water. On the other side of the valley from the lake was the strangest change of all. The frozen skywater that had fallen there during the last cold time had yet to go away. In fact, even more had since fallen there.

Littlefoot soon arrived to see his friends, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper, and Ruby, playing toss-the-seed. "Hi, guys," he said to them.

"Hi, Littlefoot," they all said at once.

Littlefoot still couldn't stop thinking about the strange occurrences. "There sure have been some strange things happening in the Great Valley recently," he said.

"Come on, not this again," complained Cera. "You keep saying that every day. So the Great Valley has changed a little, big deal. I don't see anything else happening."

"Nothing happens for no reason, you know," commented Ruby. "If something this strange has happened, then something even stranger may soon happen."

"Yeah, right, I'll believe it when I see it,"

As if right on cue, something very strange suddenly happened. Large beams of light suddenly appeared, coming from one point in the sky and shining onto different locations across the valley. It didn't take long for the beams of light to get so bright that they had to cover their eyes. The light beams grew brighter and brighter, but after a few seconds began to get dimmer. Finally, the beams of light completely faded away. The gang didn't know what had just happened.

"What was that?" asked Chomper.

"I don't know," replied Littlefoot. "I have a bad feeling that those strange lights could mean something else has just happened."

"You think something bad happen to Great Valley now?" asked Petrie.

"Well, we won't know what that something was until we go and see what that something might have done." stated Ruby.

"Ruby's right," said Littlefoot. "I think we should go to the Stone Circle and listen to what the grown-ups have to say about this."

"That is a good idea, Littlefoot. It is, it is," said Ducky as she climbed onto Spike's back.

"Alright then, let's go," said Chomper.

The gang headed for the Stone Circle, which was in the part of the valley that was unaffected by the strange changes, to find out what had just happened. Little did they know, their home was now being visited by creatures from another universe, creatures that none of them could have possibly imagined.


	3. Strange Creatures

**Chapter 2**

**Strange Creatures**

The Matoran of Ta-Koro couldn't understand what had just happened. The bright flash of light had lasted only for a few seconds. At first glance, it seemed as if nothing else had happened. However, there were some guards who stood on the walls that surrounded the village. One of them looked out beyond the village and was stunned by what he saw.

"Whatever happened, we're not on Mata Nui anymore," he announced to the other Ta-Matoran. "Apparently, we're in some sort of giant, lush valley."

"Turaga Vakama, surely it can't be that dangerous out there. Will I be allowed to leave the village to see what's out there?" asked Takua, who was more than willing to oppose the Turaga's plan of staying inside the village.

"I am sorry, Takua," replied Vakama, "but this is an entirely different universe. We have no idea what kinds of things may be out there. They may be even more dangerous than the beasts currently unleashed by the evil Makuta." He then turned his attention to all of the Ta-Matoran. "As I have just said, our only preparation for this is to stay inside the village at all times. That is, of course, until we know that this place isn't dangerous."

This just didn't seem right to Takua. After all, if everyone stayed locked up inside the village at all times, how would they know if this universe was dangerous or not? Still, he understood why such a precaution was made. No one had any idea at all about where they had ended up. This made it too risky to leave the village, so risky that it would be considered insane to even think about leaving the village during a situation like this.

The crowd began to dissipate. Many Ta-Matoran went back to their homes, as their work required them to go outside the village, a risk none of them were willing to take. After a few minutes, Takua was standing all alone. He couldn't believe that things had come to this. It just didn't seem fair to him.

Takua walked away. He wouldn't let this happen. He had to leave Ta-Koro. Already, he knew this was going to be very difficult. Ta-Koro was built on an island in a giant lake of lava for defense, and its new location was no different. The only way to safely leave the village was to cross a bridge that could be raised or lowered into the lava lake, and there was no doubt that it would be lowered for this situation. Even if the bridge was raised and the gates were open, he still couldn't leave without a guard noticing him.

Takua continued to think about how he could leave the village. Then he got an idea that could work. He rushed to the edge of the village until he reached a ledge not too high above the lava. He looked around to make sure nobody was watching him. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out his lavaboard. It was a special gift given to him by Vakama because he was a Ta-Matoran, and only Ta-Matoran possessed the skills needed to successfully surf on the lava rapids.

Takua held his lavaboard out in front of him and prepared to leap onto the rapidly-moving lava. "What do you think you're doing?" asked someone who stood behind him.

Takua turned around and saw a familiar Ta-Matoran. "Jala," said Takua. Jala was very well known in Ta-Koro. After all, he was entitled Vakama's Right Hand, the highest honor any Matoran of this village could have, and he had earned that title well. He was very brave and had no time for nonsense, traits that pleased Vakama. Because of this, he was also the Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, one of the best military forces organized by the Matoran. Unlike most of the Ta-Matoran, however, Jala actually showed respect for Takua, something that wasn't known by most Ta-Matoran for good reasons.

"You're trying to leave the village, aren't you?" asked Jala.

Takua sighed. "Yes," he admitted, "but I have to. Don't you see, Jala? We can't stay inside the village forever. Someone has to find out if this universe is even dangerous at all, and I'm volunteering to do just that."

Jala wanted to protest, but he knew Takua was right. The precaution set by the Turaga had a serious flaw, and he knew it. The only way to find out about what this universe was like was to actually leave the village and see what was out there. He also knew that it was better for Takua to do this instead of anyone else. He had too much of a reputation to defy a Turaga's orders, but Takua had almost none. He had also heard, much to his dismay, that there were some Ta-Matoran who wouldn't care if Takua died.

"Alright," he admitted, "I'll let you leave. But I recommend that you should try to come back as soon as possible. I don't want us to think that you got killed by something."

"Don't worry, Jala," said Takua, "I won't be gone for long. I'll try to come back by the middle of the day. And don't worry, nothing bad will happen to me. I promise." He held his lavaboard in front of him and leaped off the ledge. He then held his lavaboard underneath him and splashed onto the rapidly-moving lava. The current quickly took him away from the village. As Takua disappeared from sight, Jala silently wished him good luck.

Takua continued riding the rapidly-moving lava. He struggled to maintain control of his lavaboard. He wasn't inexperienced. He had done lava surfing before, but he was starting to have difficulty. After only a minute, he noticed the lava rapids were getting very rough. He knew that he had to get out now.

The banks of the fiery river were too high for him to reach the top. Then he noticed a tree root sticking out from the side of one of the banks. He banked to the right to turn his lavaboard in the direction of the tree root. He held out his right hand and grabbed it. The momentum from the current caused the rest of his body to fling forward. He held onto his lavaboard with his left hand and held his feet against the bank to prevent him from falling into the lava. He quickly tossed his lavaboard up onto the top of the bank and grabbed the root with both of his hands. He then climbed up the root and onto the top of the bank.

Takua stood up and took a look at his surroundings. This place looked quite beautiful. He could see all kinds of plants growing in this lush valley. But where were all the creatures? He put his lavaboard into his backpack and began walking. It was time to see what was out here.

* * *

The gang soon arrived at the Stone Circle. The grown-ups were already there and discussing what had just happened. There was something different nearby. A strange-looking rock had appeared near the Stone Circle. It looked like a rocky hill with shallow slopes and a level top. There were also four columns of rock, one at each corner of the level top, and stone steps on each of the four slopes.

The grown-ups told the kids not to go near it, since they had no idea what it was. Someone who had seen the large beams of light, like everyone else, had also noticed how this strange rock came to be there. He saw one of those light beams hit the ground nearby. When it had faded, that rock was just there, as if it had magically appeared.

Littlefoot wondered if there were other things in the Great Valley that had suddenly appeared at the places where the other beams of light had hit.

* * *

Takua had been walking for many minutes now. The only living creatures he saw were the many plants around him. He was starting to get frustrated. Then he began hearing something. He stopped walking to listen. It was too faint for him to understand, but he knew he was listening to a conversation. That meant there were creatures nearby, intelligent creatures.

Takua followed the noise and approached a clearing. He didn't want to be seen, so he hid behind a bush at the edge of the clearing. What he saw was incredible. The creatures he saw were unlike anything he had seen before. They were completely organic, something he thought was possible only for very small creatures. These creatures were huge! Many of them were easily many times taller than he was. There were so many different kinds of them too. Some were enormous and had very long necks, while others were quite small and had wings. Such diversity was quite fascinating for him.

Takua also noticed a group of them that were noticeably smaller, the tallest of which was only as tall as he was. They seemed like the kind of group that always stayed together. One of them had a long neck like some of the much bigger creatures. He then saw the little long-necked creature look in his direction.

* * *

Littlefoot looked around randomly, busy with his own thoughts. Then he suddenly noticed something behind a bush not too far away. He looked at it and was uncertain what to think of it. It looked like some kind of face, but nothing like he had seen before. The strange-looking skin on the face was colored light blue, and its eyes seemed like yellowish-red lights. After a few seconds, the object retreated from sight. Littlefoot continued looking at that bush, wondering what he had just seen.

"Littlefoot? Hey, Littlefoot!" shouted Cera, trying to get his attention. Littlefoot was startled for a second before turning his attention to her. "What were you looking at?" she asked.

"I thought I just saw something behind that bush over there," he said, gesturing to the bush he had just looked at.

"What was it?" asked Ducky.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." He left the gathering and headed towards the bush.

* * *

Takua quickly walked back a little. Many questions went through his mind. Had that little long-necked creature seen him? What if it was dangerous? What if these other creatures were dangerous? What if there were more of them? Takua may have been reckless, but even he knew when a risk was too great to ignore, and this was one of them. He had to stay out of sight of these creatures.

Takua started walking away. He had walked only a few steps when he heard a rustling noise behind him. He turned his head and saw the little long-necked creature was looking through the bush he had just been hiding behind. He quickly stepped out of sight. This creature was following him. He couldn't just keep walking away. He had to hide, but where? The little long-necked creature had four legs but no arms. This gave him an idea. He looked up and saw a tree branch low enough for him to grab. He jumped up, grabbed the branch, and climbed on top of it. The branch was too small for him to stand on without support, so he held onto another branch so he could stand.

Takua hoped that the little long-necked creature wouldn't think of finding him up in a tree. He waited there silently for a few minutes. The creature was now standing beneath him. Then he heard a cracking noise. He looked up to see the branch he was holding onto was starting to break off. _Uh-oh, this won't be good,_ he thought to himself. The branch broke off, causing him to lose his balance and fall off the branch he stood on.


	4. A Dinosaur and a Matoran

**Chapter 3**

**A Dinosaur and a Matoran**

Littlefoot heard a loud snap. He looked up and saw something, or rather someone, fall out of the tree above and crash onto him. The impact hurt a lot. Whatever that creature's body was made of, it was very hard.

"Sorry about that," said the stranger. "I noticed you were following me, so I decided to hide up in a tree. I guess that didn't work."

Littlefoot stood up and looked at the stranger. What he saw left him stunned. He had never seen anyone like this before. This strange creature stood on two legs, which were quite short, and had two arms, which were quite long. The stranger was also covered entirely in some kind of armor, which was somewhat reflective. The armor was also colored differently; the feet and legs were yellow, the arms and torso were bright red, and the face, at least that's what he thought it was, was light blue. He just stared at the stranger, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"Did I frighten you?" asked the stranger. "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

Littlefoot finally managed to speak. "I've never seen anything like you before."

"I've never seen anything like you before either," said the stranger. There was silence for a few seconds. "I guess that means you can understand what I say, right? Who are you, and what kind of creature are you?"

Littlefoot hesitated for a second. This stranger was the strangest creature he had ever seen. Despite his fears, the stranger was speaking rather kindly and seemed to be just as curious as he was. He finally managed to say, "I-I'm Littlefoot. I'm a dinosaur."

"A dinosaur?" said the stranger. "I've never heard of one of those before. This is definitely a very different universe. I'm guessing there are also different types of dinosaurs."

"Yes," replied Littlefoot, "I'm a Longneck."

"A Longneck? I can easily tell where that name came from." The stranger chuckled. Littlefoot couldn't help but chuckle as well. It did seem rather amusing.

Littlefoot was starting to feel more comfortable near this stranger, so he decided it was time for him to ask questions. "So who are you? And what are you?"

"I'm Takua," replied the stranger. "I'm a Matoran."

"A Matoran?" said Littlefoot. "I've never heard of those before. Are there also different kinds of Matoran?"

"Yeah," replied Takua, "I'm a Ta-Matoran"

"A Ta-Matoran? How is a Ta-Matoran different from other Matoran?"

Takua thought about how to explain it. "Well, Ta-Matoran live in Ta-Koro, the village of fire."

"The village of fire?" Littlefoot was starting to get confused.

"Yeah, the Matoran live in six villages, one for each of the six elements: fire, water, air, ice, stone, and earth."

"So you're saying there are six types of Matoran?"

"Yeah, there's Ta-Matoran, Ga-Matoran, Le-Matoran, Ko-Matoran, Po-Matoran, and Onu-Matoran."

"I'm getting very confused now."

"Don't worry, I can explain everything there is to know about Matoran and how they live."

Littlefoot thought that such an explanation might take a very long time. "Maybe later," he said. This stranger, Takua, didn't seem dangerous at all. In fact, he actually seemed quite friendly. Littlefoot knew that his friends would want to know about who he had found here, so he thought it might be a great idea to introduce them to Takua. "Hey, do you want to meet my friends?" asked Littlefoot.

"You have friends?" asked Takua.

"Yes, do you want to meet them?"

Takua felt uneasy about it. What if some of them were not as friendly as Littlefoot? "I don't know," he said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll like you."

Takua thought about it for a minute. Littlefoot did seem very trustworthy. Besides, he might be able to learn a few things about these dinosaurs. "Okay, take me to them."

"Alright, follow me." Littlefoot started walking back to the Stone Circle with Takua following close behind. Although they both had different reasons, they both had the same thought: they had just made a new friend.


	5. A New Friend

**Chapter 4**

**A New Friend**

Takua followed Littlefoot until they reached a small clearing. Before he reached the edge of the clearing, Littlefoot stopped and said to Takua, "Wait here, I'll bring them here." Littlefoot then left to get his friends.

Littlefoot soon arrived at the Stone Circle, where his friends were waiting for him.

Cera was the first to notice him. "Hey, Littlefoot's coming back," she told the others. They turned to see him, just as he walked up to them. "Well, did you find anything?" she asked him.

"Yes," he replied, "I met someone there. He's very strange-looking and I have never seen anyone like him before, but he's very friendly and I think you should meet him."

"I do like meeting new friends, I do, I do," said Ducky, happily.

"Me want to meet new friend too," said Petrie.

"If everyone wants to meet this new friend, then I think we should meet this new friend right now," commented Ruby.

"Alright, follow me," said Littlefoot. He began walking to the small clearing with his friends following close behind.

They soon arrived at the small clearing. Littlefoot stopped and said, "Okay, you can come out now."

At first, nothing happened. Takua was a little hesitant. He saw that all seven members of this group were entirely different kinds of dinosaurs. He thought that maybe they didn't belong with their own kinds. He then remembered that he felt that he didn't belong with his own kind as well. Maybe this group would be willing to accept him. He came out from behind the bush where he had stood and walked into the clearing.

As Takua showed himself, Littlefoot's friends could hardly believe their eyes. This was the strangest creature they had ever seen. They were speechless. After a few seconds, Takua realized that he would have to say something first. "Hi, I'm Takua," he said. They were still speechless. "I'm a Matoran," he added. It soon became clear that he was getting nowhere at the moment.

After about a minute, Ducky was the first to speak up. "I have never seen anyone like you before. No, no, no." she said, still unable to believe that the stranger she was talking to was real.

"That's because Matoran are from a very different universe," said Takua.

"You're from another universe?" asked Chomper.

"Yeah, all of the Matoran that I know of lived on an island called Mata Nui. Did you see the sky flash brightly for a few seconds? I think that strange event somehow caused us to be transported from there to this universe."

"Actually, what happened was that a few large beams of light came down from somewhere in the sky," said Littlefoot. "I think the reason you didn't see them was because you must have been inside one of those light beams."

"Good point. I just don't understand how that could have happened."

"How many of you are there?" asked Ruby.

"Well, I'm guessing that all of those Matoran are now in this valley, so I'd say hundreds," replied Takua.

"Really?" asked Cera. "If there are so many of you, then how come you're the only one we've seen so far?"

"We had no idea of what kind of universe we had ended up in, so everyone stayed inside their villages. I didn't think that was a good solution, so I sneaked out of my village to see what was out here. Even I was still uncertain about how dangerous this universe could be, so when I saw Littlefoot following me, I decided to hide up in a tree."

"You can climb trees?" asked Chomper.

"Of course I can. In fact, Le-Matoran live in the trees."

"Then prove it," said Cera. "Let's see you climb a tree."

"Alright then, I will." Takua walked up to a nearby tree. He took off his backpack and dropped it onto the ground. He then jumped up and grabbed a low branch and climbed on top of it. He looked to everyone and waved.

"Go higher," said Cera. "Let me see you really climb that tree."

"You got it," said Takua. He climbed up another branch and then another. He didn't have a reason to not climb this tree. The only reason he fell off the other one was because the branch snapped off. What were the odds of that happening again?

He had almost reached the top when a branch he had just grabbed onto suddenly snapped off. He lost his balance and fell off the branch he was just standing on. As he fell, he hit a few branches. He hit the last one so hard, his mask came off. He hit the ground face-down and his mask landed beside him. As Takua stood up, everyone gasped at what they saw. As far as they could tell, Takua's face had somehow fallen off. Takua noticed they were staring at him with shocked looks on their faces. "What?" he asked.

"Y-Your face came off," said Littlefoot, with a noticeable amount of fear in his voice.

"What? My face?" asked Takua, as he looked around. He then noticed his mask on the ground. He then burst out laughing, causing the others to become very confused. "Sorry for scaring you like that, but that's not my face. That's my mask."

"Your mask?" asked Littlefoot.

"Yeah, every Matoran wears a mask," said Takua as he picked up his mask and put it back on his face.

"Why does every Matoran wear one?"

"I don't know. I have heard that if a Matoran doesn't wear a mask, he soon starts feeling weaker. After a few hours, that Matoran could fall into an endless sleep and can be awakened only by putting a mask on his face."

"So a mask is like some source of energy?"

"Yeah, I guess you could think of it that way." Takua knew it would take a long time to explain everything about his universe. However, he was here to learn about this universe, so he decided to change the subject. "Alright, in case if you didn't figure it out yet, the only reason I sneaked out of my village was to find out as much as I could about this universe. So why don't you introduce yourselves to me and then explain to me as much as you can about this place."

"Good idea," said Littlefoot. After all, he had wanted to introduce his friends to Takua in the first place.

Ducky decided to introduce herself first. "Hello, Takua. I am Ducky and I am a Swimmer. Yep, yep, yep," she said. Then Spike walked up to Takua. Ducky introduced him. "This is Spike and he is a Spiketail. He does not talk but he is a good little brother to me."

"I'm guessing he is your adopted brother," said Takua.

"Yes, yes, yes," said Ducky. "We found him all alone, but he came with us and he now lives with me. Yep, yep, yep."

Petrie flew in front of Takua and said, "Hi, me Petrie and me Flyer."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that when I saw that you have wings," said Takua.

Petrie couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. "You talk funny," he commented.

"If you think I'm funny, you should listen to Le-Matoran when they talk," said Takua.

Chomper walked up to Takua and said, "Hi, I'm Chomper and I'm a Sharptooth."

"Sharptooth? Does that mean you're one of the dangerous kinds of dinosaurs?" asked Takua.

"Well, yes," admitted Chomper. "But don't worry, no Sharptooth can get into this valley, and I'm very nice. I would never hurt anyone, especially not my friends."

Takua was relieved to hear that. Besides, Chomper seemed way too small to pose any threat.

"It is good to know that you are willing to accept Chomper as a friend," said Ruby. "Hello, I am Ruby and I am a Fast-Runner. I am here because I take care of Chomper while he lives here."

Takua was pleased to meet all of them. He then noticed that one of them had still yet to be introduced to him; the one who had dared him to climb that tree. "And who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Cera and I'm a Threehorn," she said, "and you better not try to do anything stupid with me, or you'll be in big trouble."

Takua was well known for doing stupid things. But for once, he actually did something smart. He wanted to make a comment on the fact that Cera, being a Threehorn, had only one horn. But, seeing her attitude, he decided it was probably a bad idea, so he kept the comment to himself.

"Wow, you guys sure are close friends," commented Takua. "I'd like to know how you came to be friends."

The gang told Takua about a few of their adventures. They talked about how five of them, not counting Chomper and Ruby, first met and journeyed to find their new home, the Great Valley. They then talked about how they became friends with Chomper by hatching him from an egg they had found. They also talked about how Chomper and Ruby met and how they journeyed to, and became accepted into, the Great Valley.

As they finished talking about another of their adventures, Chomper commented that he was hungry. "I'm hungry too. I think we should take a break for lunch," suggested Littlefoot.

As the gang spread out to get something to eat, Ruby noticed that Takua just stood where he was. Curious, she decided to ask him a question. "Hey, Takua, I was wondering, what do Matoran eat?" she asked.

Takua looked at her with a confused look on his face. "What do Matoran eat?" he asked.

"Yeah, do you eat green food, or do you eat the kind of things Chomper eats?" asked Ruby. Takua noticed Chomper grab a bug from inside a hollow tree and ate it.

"Actually, Matoran don't eat the way you guys do," said Takua. "We absorb our energy in a different way." Takua looked upwards and noticed that the sun was currently at its highest point in the sky, indicating that it was the middle of the day. He suddenly realized what he was supposed to be doing at this time. "It's the middle of the day already!?" he exclaimed. "Sorry guys, but I have to leave now. I need to get back to Ta-Koro right now. I'll see you again as soon as I can, I promise. Bye guys."

"Goodbye, Takua. I hope we'll see you soon," said Littlefoot.

Takua picked up his backpack and left to go back to Ta-Koro. What an amazing day he had, so far! Not only had he learned a few things about this universe and that this valley had little danger, but he had also made some new friends. He couldn't stop thinking about them. However, he now had a job to do. He would have to tell everyone in Ta-Koro that this universe was safe for them. Describing this universe, that would be the hard part. Even if the Ta-Matoran had a lot of faith in him, which they clearly didn't, they would never believe him if he talked about the kinds of creatures that lived here, but he had to try. He had no idea how long the Matoran would be in this universe, or even if there was a way to return to Mata Nui, so it would probably be a good idea to be friendly with the valley's residents. Such an alliance could benefit both sides. It would be all up to him to make it happen.


	6. Explanations

**Chapter 5**

**Explanations**

Takua had been lucky to find Ta-Koro. He was still very unfamiliar with the terrain of the Great Valley, so finding any location would be difficult. However, he did notice the Smoking Mountain in the southeastern part of the valley, so he decided to go there. After all, Ta-Koro was built inside an active volcano, so it would make sense that its new location would also be inside a volcano; in this case, the Smoking Mountain.

Takua soon arrived at Ta-Koro. He stood at the edge of the lake of fire that surrounded the village. Just as he had expected, the bridge was down and the gate was closed. This path was the only way to get back into Ta-Koro. He needed to get the gates open, and that was possible only from inside the village. He waved his arms in the air and shouted, "Hey, everyone, I'm back! Open the gates! I have important information!"

The two guardsmen who stood atop the gate noticed him. Unfortunately, they were among the Ta-Matoran who hated him. "Is that Takua? What is he doing out there?" asked one of them.

"Why should we care?" replied the other one. "He's stupid for going out there like that. He's going to get himself killed."

"Come on! Open the gates! Don't just leave me standing here all day!" shouted Takua.

"Should we open the gates?" asked the first guard.

"Nah, something will just come by and eat him," replied the second guard.

"Open the gates," ordered someone who stood behind them. The two guardsmen turned around to see their captain, Jala, standing before them. "That's an order," he said.

Both of them saluted him and one of them replied, "Yes, Captain." The guardsman then shouted down to the winch room, "Open the gates!" The operators in the winch room did as they were told. They activated the mechanism that caused the bridge to rise up out of the lava lake and the main gate to open.

Once the bridge was all the way up, Takua crossed it and walked through the opened gate. In only a matter of seconds, dozens of Ta-Matoran emerged from their homes to see him back in the village. They were quickly whispering rumors to each other about what this could mean. Most importantly, just what was out there? They knew that he would talk about what he had seen out there, but would they be willing to listen to him?

Takua was uncertain about how to start. He had almost never been the center of attention. After a few seconds, he managed to speak up. "Alright, everyone," he said, "as you know, I sneaked out of the village to see what was in this universe. There are other creatures here, but they assured me that this valley we are currently in is very safe. We will always be safe as long as we don't go beyond the mountains that surround this valley, because that's where the dangerous creatures live. I assume the other villages are also in this valley."

"Who are these creatures you are talking about?" asked one Ta-Matoran.

Takua knew this would be where everyone would stop believing him. "They call themselves dinosaurs," he continued. "These creatures are huge, easily more than twice as high as we are. Also, they are completely organic. They have no masks or armor, just organic flesh and bone."

"Impossible!" exclaimed one Ta-Matoran. "No fully organic creature could be that big!"

"I bet there's no such thing as these so-called 'dinosaurs'!" exclaimed another.

"Of course he's lying to us! He knows he doesn't belong here," taunted another. Nearly every Matoran in the village started laughing at Takua for telling such a ridiculous story.

"But they are real creatures. I actually spoke with some of them," said Takua, trying to get everyone to listen to him. The village-wide laughter continued. He then noticed Jala within the crowd, but he was not laughing. Maybe he actually had faith in him. "Jala, do you believe what I said?" asked Takua.

Jala felt uneasy about it. He sighed and said, "I don't know. Even I find this hard to believe."

Takua couldn't believe what was happening. No one, not even his friend, Jala, believed in what he truly saw. The laughter was becoming too much for him to bear. Takua was about to turn around and run away from the village when an elderly voice shouted, "Enough!"

The laughter immediately stopped as everyone turned to see Turaga Vakama standing before them. In his right hand, he held up his Firestaff, signaling that he demanded silence. He lowered his Firestaff and said, "Come with me, Takua. We must speak in private."

Takua was uncertain of what Vakama wanted to speak with him about, but he knew it had to be something important. As Takua walked away with Vakama, many of the Ta-Matoran assumed that Vakama would finally banish Takua from the village. Jala, however, knew this would not be so. He assumed that Vakama would have to accept what Takua had said, since it was the only information of this universe that was currently available.

Takua and Vakama walked into the largest hut in the village, Vakama's hut. Vakama stood before the giant fire that dominated the middle of the hut. After a few seconds, Vakama turned to face Takua and said, "First of all, Takua, you disobeyed me. You left the village without my permission."

"I know, but I wasn't gone for more than half a day," said Takua.

"That's not the point. However, I see why you were willing to take such a risk. You were right. We would never learn anything about this universe if everyone stayed in their villages. Thanks to you, we shall not have to worry about that anymore. Now, tell me all you have learned about this universe."

Takua informed Vakama of everything that had happened this morning. He described the amazing creatures he had seen, the dinosaurs, as well as what the land inside and outside this valley was like. He also talked about the group of small and young dinosaurs that he had become friends with.

As Takua finished, Vakama stared at the fire for a few minutes to gather his thoughts. Finally, he said, "We now exist in the universe of the dinosaurs. Since we have no knowledge on how we got here, we may never be able to leave. Therefore, peace with them will be necessary. The first step to establishing such a peace is to understand who we are making peace with. Go to the other villages, and tell each of the other Turaga that we are to meet in the center of this valley early tomorrow morning. You are also to tell the dinosaurs who live in this valley to be at that meeting as well, so that we may discuss who we are and that we wish for peace with them."

Takua wasn't sure if he could handle this duty. He had no idea where the other villages were. Even if he did get lucky enough to find them all, he would have even less luck convincing the dinosaurs to attend the meeting. As he thought about it, he realized that he could have his new friends tell the other dinosaurs about the meeting, so he could focus on finding the other villages and informing the Turaga of this meeting. "I will do as you ask, Turaga," he said, bowing before him in respect.

Vakama smiled. "I am pleased to see that you are willing to perform this task. May it help you gain the much-needed trust of the Matoran."

Takua left the hut and headed for the gate. As he walked past all of the Ta-Matoran, he told them that he was not banished, but was performing a task for the Turaga. Takua left Ta-Koro and headed in the direction he had recently come from. Before he could begin his task, he had to tell his new friends about it so they could do their part.

* * *

Littlefoot and his friends had just finished their lunch. They were now talking about their new friend, Takua, and what his kind might be like.

"I think Takua is quite friendly," said Littlefoot. "I think we should introduce him to the grown-ups when he gets back."

Cera disagreed. "No way! That's a bad idea. In fact, I still find it hard to believe that such a creature like him actually exists. My daddy will never be able to believe it."

"Cera right," commented Petrie, "Takua sure look very strange."

"Sometimes, the best way to believe something is to see that something," said Ruby.

"That's just what I was thinking," said Littlefoot. "As soon as he gets back, we'll take him to the grown-ups so they can personally see him."

Chomper looked to the side and saw Takua was walking towards them. "Hey, look! Takua's coming back," he said. Everyone looked in the same direction he was looking.

As Takua walked into the clearing, he was greeted by his new friends. "Hi, Takua," they all said at once.

"Hi, guys," he replied.

"Come on," said Littlefoot. "We'd like you to meet everyone in the Great Valley."

"Sorry, guys," said Takua, "but I can't do that right now. I need to do something else first."

"Something else? Like what?" asked Ducky.

"Turaga Vakama is calling a meeting at the center of the valley tomorrow morning. I need to go to the other villages and tell the other Turaga about this meeting so that they can attend this meeting."

"Who are the Turaga?" asked Chomper.

"They are the elders of our villages. They are the ones who make most of the decisions that need to be made. I also need to tell the dinosaurs of this valley to attend this meeting as well. It may take me all day just to go to the other villages, so maybe you can tell the other dinosaurs here about this meeting."

"What should we tell them this meeting is about?" asked Littlefoot.

"Tell them that it's for the Matoran and the dinosaurs to know each other and that we wish to establish peace between us."

"Will you be at that meeting, too?"

"Of course I will. There's no way I'm going to miss something this important. I need to leave now. See you tomorrow morning."

Everyone said goodbye as Takua walked away to begin his part of the task. Now they had their part of the task to do and they knew that without Takua, it wasn't going to be easy. They left the clearing and headed for the Stone Circle, where the grown-ups likely still were.

* * *

The gang soon arrived at the Stone Circle. The grown-ups were still there and still discussing the strange event that had happened earlier today. The gang walked up to them, getting the attention of some. "Hey, everyone! We know what those light beams did," announced Littlefoot, getting the attention of everyone else.

"Did you go to where one of them hit the ground?" asked Littlefoot's grandfather.

"Actually, they brought some strange creatures to this valley and one of those creatures came to us. His name is Takua and he is very friendly."

"What kind of creature is he?" asked Cera's father.

"He says he's a Matoran. Matoran are only as tall as I am and they walk on two legs. Also, their bodies are covered almost entirely in some strange kind of armor. And, strangest of all, they always wear masks over their faces."

"That's ridiculous! Why would they always want to cover up their faces!?"

"Well, masks are like some sort of energy source for them, so they need to always wear them. Anyway, Takua says that we need to tell you that the leaders of the Matoran, the Turaga, have called a meeting at the center of the valley tomorrow morning. They want to know who we are and they want to be peaceful with us."

The fact that these "Matoran" wanted to be peaceful with them relieved most of the crowd. Also, the center of the valley happened to be right where they currently were, so perhaps they might learn what the strange new rock nearby was.

Cera's father, however, was still not believing any of it. "I doubt that such creatures even exist, but we'll see in the morning."

"Mr. Threehorn is right. Perhaps it is best that we save our questions for tomorrow, when we will actually meet these Matoran," stated Littlefoot's grandfather.

Everyone agreed with this and started to leave the area. The gang soon left as well. They decided to spend the rest of the day continuing their game of toss-the-seed. They all hoped to see Takua again tomorrow.


	7. A Strange Dream

**Chapter 6**

**A Strange Dream**

Takua's task had been much easier than he had expected. Due to the strange climatic changes in the valley, finding the villages was as easy as identifying the different areas. He saw a large waterfall to the east, and found Ga-Koro nearby. He then saw a thick jungle to the south, and found Le-Koro in the treetops. He then saw a large, snow-covered area to the west, and found Ko-Koro there. He then saw a desert region to the north and found Po-Koro there. Onu-Koro was underground, so finding it would have been quite difficult. Luckily, he had quickly found the only tunnel that connected the village to the surface, which was in the western part of the desert region. As he arrived at each village, he was quickly granted access inside, since he was a Matoran. Each time, he entered the village, found the Turaga of that village, and informed that Turaga of Vakama's plan.

Takua was now finished with his task. The sun had since gone down and it was now late at night. He was now walking back to Ta-Koro. As he walked, he looked up at the hundreds of stars in the night sky. It was so beautiful to see so many stars in the sky at once. At the same time, it was also quite a strange sight. Of all the star patterns he was familiar with, not a single one of them could be seen. This was because this was a very different universe, so the stars appeared to be in very random places. Strangely, there was one thing in the night sky that was very familiar: the Red Star. Back on Mata Nui, it was the Red Star that made it possible to know when a prophecy would come true. Either this universe had its own Red Star, or the Red Star had somehow followed the Matoran to this universe. He decided to ignore this for now and continued walking.

Ta-Koro was now within sight. Takua didn't go much further until he had a thought and stopped. Why should he go back to Ta-Koro? The majority of the Matoran there didn't trust him. He didn't even have a hut to sleep in. He had slept outside for the last few months. Besides, his new friends seemed far more welcoming. If he had known where they slept, he would have slept there too. However, he didn't know where they spent the night, so he had to sleep elsewhere. He soon recalled seeing something familiar when he first saw the dinosaurs. He turned around and headed for the center of the valley, where he remembered seeing that familiar place. He decided to spend the night there.

* * *

Littlefoot was lying down in his sleeping place. He looked up at the strange red star in the sky again. His grandfather knew just as little about that star as he did. It wasn't in the sky last night, so maybe it came along with the Matoran. It was no use thinking about it at this time, so he laid his head back down on the ground and soon fell asleep.

As Littlefoot slept, he had one of the strangest sleep-stories he ever had. He was standing in an area that was completely dark. Then he saw a light from above and very far away. To him, it seemed to resemble the bright circle. Soon, a rock fell from the light and landed upright on the sandy ground. The rock was completely smooth, and carved into it was a kind and peaceful-looking face. He had no idea who or what this rock represented. The area then got brighter, just enough for him to see dozens of pebbles scattered around the rock. Some of the pebbles started moving towards the rock. Then a few more did so as well. Soon, the pebbles had gathered themselves into six neat piles surrounding the rock.

Littlefoot then looked to his right and saw another rock land upright on the sandy ground. This rock was different, however. It was black and jagged, with a dark and mean-looking face etched into it. From the base of the jagged rock, darkness began spreading across the ground. The darkness soon covered the smooth rock, causing it to fall over. The impact from the fall caused the piles of pebbles to fall apart. The smooth rock then sank partially into the ground. Then, three smaller jagged black rocks rose up out of the ground around the larger one. Littlefoot was unable to figure out what all of this meant.

Littlefoot then looked up and saw, among the many stars, a red star. Suddenly, multiple beams of light emerged from the red star and each one covered the remnants of each pile of pebbles. The light beams soon faded away, along with the red star, and the pebbles that were once there were now gone. Littlefoot then found himself in another area with sandy ground and a light in the sky. Dozens of pebbles were scattered around the entire area. The multiple beams of light from the other sand place emerged from where he last saw the red star and hit six locations in a circular formation. When the light beams faded away, the six neat piles of pebbles from the other area had appeared in the six locations. The other pebbles scattered everywhere soon began to move around to form more neat piles surrounding the first six piles.

Littlefoot then saw the jagged black rock from the other area rise up out of the sandy ground in the middle of the area. Darkness began to quickly spread across the ground. He was still unable to figure out what any of this meant. He then saw one pebble from one of the six piles move out of the pile and to seven of the other surrounding piles. From each of those seven piles, one pebble moved towards the first one. The seven pebbles formed a circular formation around the first pebble. One by one, a flash of light covered each pebble and turned it into a different color. The colors each pebble turned into were gold, red, blue, green, white, brown, and black. The first pebble then returned to its pile, while the colored pebbles started surrounding the jagged rock, fighting back the darkness. The colored pebbles then shot beams of light in their respective color at the jagged rock. After a few seconds, the jagged rock sank back down beneath the ground and the colored light beams faded away. Soon, multiple light beams emerged from the red star, which had somehow reappeared, and covered the six piles of pebbles in the circular formation. When the light beams faded away, the six piles were gone. Also, the seven colored pebbles were no longer colored. Littlefoot still couldn't figure out what all of this meant.

Littlefoot then woke up. He noticed that it was already morning. He then noticed his grandparents walking towards him.

"Littlefoot, it's time to go to the meeting with the Matoran leaders," said his grandfather.

"Okay, grandpa," replied Littlefoot. He got up and stretched before following his grandparents to the center of the valley. He wondered what his recent sleep-story meant. It was likely a representation of something, but a representation of what? Perhaps the Matoran leaders would know what it meant. He decided to ignore it for now. Today, there was going to be a meeting that would be very important for everyone, Matoran and dinosaurs. He also hoped that Takua would be at that meeting.


	8. The Big Meeting

**Chapter 7**

**The Big Meeting**

It was early in the morning and every dinosaur in the Great Valley was now gathered at the Stone Circle in the center of the valley. Everyone had had a quick breakfast before coming here, so hunger wouldn't be a problem. Still, many had serious doubts about the existence of Matoran, let alone the possibility their leaders would come to this meeting.

Littlefoot and his friends were a little worried about this as well. After all, Takua had promised to be at this meeting, but he still hadn't shown up yet. Perhaps he would come along with the leader of his village.

Littlefoot took a quick look at the strange rock nearby. It had appeared yesterday morning and nobody knew what it was. But Littlefoot noticed something different. He took a closer look and noticed someone familiar sitting against one of the four rock columns on that rock. "Guys, Look! It's Takua!" he exclaimed.

Littlefoot hurried towards the rock with his friends following close behind. Everyone turned their attention to them as they headed for the strange rock. They all soon noticed the strange creature sitting on that rock. Perhaps that stranger was the one the kids had been talking about the previous day. The gang rushed up the stone steps and stopped in front of Takua. He was still asleep.

"Is he still sleeping?" asked Cera.

"Hey, Takua, wake up," urged Littlefoot.

Takua stirred a little and opened his eyes. "Guys? Wow, you sure are early," he said.

"Actually, it's not that early. You were just sleeping late."

"Really? I guess I've had a lot on my mind recently." Takua then stood up and put on his backpack. He then looked at every dinosaur that stood before him. They were all staring at him. "Wow, is this everyone?"

"Yeah, I guess after what happened yesterday, they wanted to know if there really was such a creature like you."

Takua turned his attention to everyone. "Well, it looks like you got what you came to see. Hi, my name is Takua and I am a Matoran. Save all of your questions for our village elders, the Turaga. They are very wise and we show them great respect. I'll introduce you to each of them as they arrive, since I know them very well. They should be here any time now."

Everyone was shocked at what they were seeing. Standing before them was one of the strangest creatures any of them had ever seen. They had many questions for him, but they knew that it would probably be best to have the wise elders of his kind answer those questions.

Littlefoot, however, had one question that he wanted to ask Takua. "Why did you sleep here instead of at your village? Do you know this rock?"

"Of course I know this place. This is the Kini-Nui temple. It was built in the center of our home, the island of Mata Nui. If the Turaga ever had a meeting, it would be held here. Seeing as you're all here right now, I guess this is the center of this valley where the meeting will be. Good thing this temple ended up here."

"Hey, look! Somebody is coming!" said Chomper. Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

Approaching them was an elderly-looking red figure. He was just a little taller than Takua and the mask he wore was a different shape and colored orange. In his right hand, he held a long stick with a flame on the top end of it, his Firestaff.

"That's Vakama, Turaga of Ta-Koro, the village of fire," said Takua. "Ta-Koro also happens to be the village that I come from."

Vakama, seeing the Kini-Nui, walked up the steps of the temple. The other five Turaga arrived within the next few minutes and Takua introduced the crowd to each of them. Nokama was the Turaga of Ga-Koro, the village of water. Onewa was the Turaga of Po-Koro, the village of stone. Whenua was the Turaga of Onu-Koro, the village of earth. Matau was the Turaga of Le-Koro, the village of air. Nuju was the Turaga of Ko-Koro, the village of ice.

The Turaga stood at the front of the Kini-Nui and were facing the crowd of dinosaurs, who stood at the Stone Circle and were facing them. Littlefoot and his friends, along with Takua, stood at the base of the temple between the two groups.

At first, there was silence. Each group looked at the other in awe and wonder. Finally, Turaga Vakama broke the silence. "Fellow Turaga, we stand before the native creatures of this land in this universe. We are probably as mysterious to them as they are to us. Let us begin this meeting by answering any questions they may have for us."

The dinosaurs began asking many of the questions they had. Some were simple, such as how many Matoran were here in the valley. Others were complex, such as what was the purpose of the masks they wore. The Turaga answered all of these questions as they were asked.

"Is the universe you come from more dangerous than this universe?" asked one dinosaur.

"At this time, yes," replied Vakama. "But long ago, the Matoran lived a calm and peaceful life."

"What are you talking about?" asked Cera's father.

"Gather around, everyone. We have a legend to tell you."

The Turaga walked to the center of the temple and stood near the circular sand pit there. Everyone gathered around the front of the temple, as Vakama had said. Takua and his dinosaur friends stood at the front of the crowd. Vakama had brought everything he needed to tell the legend, since it required using the sand pit to visually describe the legend as it was told.

Vakama began by placing a smooth rock with a face carved on it in the middle of the sand pit. Littlefoot recognized that rock as the same one he had seen in his sleep-story. Vakama then began telling the legend. "In the time before time, the Great Spirit descended from the heavens, bringing us, the Matoran, with him to the island paradise we have since called home. We were separate and without purpose, so the Great Spirit blessed us with the three virtues: unity, duty, and destiny. We embraced these gifts and, in gratitude, name our island home Mata Nui, after the Great Spirit himself."

Apparently, the smooth rock represented the Great Spirit, Mata Nui. Vakama then put a black, jagged rock in the sand pit next to the smooth rock. "But our happiness did not last long. Mata Nui's brother, Makuta, had followed him. He grew jealous of these honors, so he cast a spell over Mata Nui, sending him into a deep slumber." He knocked over the smooth stone to represent this. "Makuta's darkness spread across the land and our virtues began to be forgotten. He unleashed horrible beasts, the Rahi, to keep us in fear and darkness. Since then, we have fought all kinds of Rahi, but the darkness remained over our land."

So far, the legend perfectly reflected the sleep-story Littlefoot had had. He wondered if the rest of legend would also be similar. He would soon be proven wrong.

The six Turaga each placed a smaller smooth rock near the jagged rock so that those rocks surrounded the jagged rock. "Still, we are far from losing all hope. We have always believed that, one day, six heroes will arrive to our island, the Toa. When they arrive, they will have one mission: to defeat Makuta and save Mata Nui. That, my new friends, is what our world has been like for as long as we could remember."

"I don't find any of this believable!" exclaimed Cera's father. "I can see that you Matoran actually exist, but I don't believe in anything you have just said!"

"Mr. Threehorn, please control your anger," said Littlefoot's grandfather, calmly. "I know you find this hard to believe, but this is their legend. Therefore, they believe in it more than any of us."

"Besides," added Vakama, "I and the other Turaga have personally seen these past events occur. So we are more than just believers. We know the legend is true."

"Perhaps it is best that I mention that the Great Valley is a very safe place," said Littlefoot's grandfather. "So any dangers you may have faced in the past are very likely to not be here."

"It is good to hear such a thing. The Matoran have longed for an era of peace. Until we find a way back to our home, that is just what we shall have."

"It pleases me to see that we can all live together in peace. Perhaps there are some young Matoran that the little ones can play with."

This statement left most of the Turaga quite confused. "What did he say?" asked Onewa.

Whenua cleared his throat and said, "To put it in a way so that everyone can understand, Matoran are not created the way that I assume you dinosaurs are. While a dinosaur life starts with childhood, Matoran are simply brought into existence, already fully grown. Matoran also have a lifespan of thousands of years. This is why we remember the legend so clearly, because we all saw it happen, nearly a thousand years ago."

This statement got the dinosaurs asking more questions. After a while, the Turaga began asking their own questions to the dinosaurs. Finally, by the end of the morning, there were no more questions left for anyone to ask. The dinosaurs agreed to let the Matoran live in the Great Valley for as long as they wished. Cera's father was reluctant, but he too agreed to this.

Before anyone left, Takua wanted to say something. "Turaga, I would like to show my new friends each of the six villages. Would you allow that to be possible tomorrow?"

"Of course, Takua," replied Vakama. "That would be an excellent idea. It would allow the Matoran to personally see some of these dinosaur creatures."

"Also, I was wondering if I could live with them too, wherever they live."

"If that is what you wish, then go right ahead." Vakama then turned his attention back to the crowd of dinosaurs. "An era of peace between Matoran and dinosaurs has begun. Let us hope that it will last."

The Turaga then left and began heading back to their villages. The dinosaurs also began to leave as well. Soon, Littlefoot and his friends, along with Takua, were the only ones left there.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" asked Takua.

"Well, since we are going to see how Matoran spend their time, tomorrow, maybe you could see how we spend our time, today," suggested Ruby.

"Good idea, Ruby," said Littlefoot. "Let's go play at the Tall Trees."

"Sounds like you want to have some fun," said Takua. "Count me in."

The gang headed for the Tall Trees to spend the rest of the day having fun. Takua couldn't wait to see what kind of activities they enjoyed doing.


	9. Life With Kids

**Chapter 8**

**Life With Kids**

By the time they arrived at the Tall Trees, the gang decided to get some lunch before they did anything. This meant that Takua would have to wait for them to finish, something he didn't feel very content about.

Chomper, being a Sharptooth, finished his lunch before anyone else. He decided to talk to Takua while he waited. "Hey, Takua," he said, but everywhere he looked he could not see Takua. "Takua? Where are you?"

"What is it, Chomper?" asked Littlefoot.

"Where's Takua? I don't see him anywhere."

"Takua? Where are you? Takua!"

"Are you calling me?" asked a familiar voice. Everyone turned to see Takua approaching them.

"Takua! Where have you been!?" asked Cera in an angry voice.

"I just decided to take a look around. After all, this is only my second day here in the Great Valley," said Takua.

"Next time, let us know when you go wandering off again," said Littlefoot. "You had me worried there for a minute."

"Sorry, guys. I just wanted to do something while I waited for you to finish. Are you done eating now?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Alright, what do you want to do now?"

Chomper remembered that he had wanted to ask Takua something just a minute ago. "Hey, Takua, what's that thing you carry on your back?" he asked.

"My backpack?" asked Takua, taking off his backpack. "I've traveled to many places and I've occasionally collected a few things. I carry everything I have in this backpack."

"What kind of things?" asked Ducky.

"Here, I'll show you," said Takua, dumping the contents of his backpack onto the ground. The first item he picked up was a large, flat object. "This is my lavaboard. I use it to safely ride across lava."

"What's lava?" asked Cera.

"You know, the fiery stuff that flows from volcanic mountains."

"Oh, you mean flowing fire. You just call it something different," said Littlefoot.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Cera. "Are you saying that thing allows you to ride on that stuff without getting burned at all?"

"Yeah, but only Ta-Matoran like myself are capable of doing so," stated Takua.

Ducky picked up something that easily caught her eye. It was a crystal-like rock that gave off a glowing light. It was almost as big as she was, so she barely managed to pick it up. "Look! This rock is shining like the Bright Circle! It is, it is!" she exclaimed.

"That's a lightstone," said Takua, taking it from Ducky's small hands. "It's mined in Onu-Koro, where it's of great importance. That's because that village is underground, where it's always dark. Lightstones, like this one, are the only source of light they have there. I find this lightstone useful when traveling through dark places like tunnels."

As Takua put his lavaboard and lightstone back into his backpack, Petrie noticed a strange-looking stick-like object. "What that?" he asked, pointing at that object.

"That's a flute I got in Le-Koro. Many of the Matoran there play music with things like this. Here, I'll show you." Takua held the flute to his mouth and played a few random notes. The gang thought that such sounds were beautiful.

"That very good," commented Petrie. "Me want to hear more."

"Wait until you visit Le-Koro, tomorrow. You'll hear a lot more of it," said Takua as he put his flute back into his backpack.

Ruby picked up the last item that was on the ground. It was smooth, colored gray, and was just a little larger than the light-stone. "What is this?" she asked.

Takua took it from her and said, "That's a heatstone. Just as a lightstone gives off light, a heatstone gives off heat. It's stored inside this canister to prevent any of its heat from escaping." Takua took the lid off of the canister to partially reveal a stone the same size and shape of a lightstone. "It's a good idea to have one of these if you're in a very cold place." He put the lid back on the canister and put it back into his backpack. "Alright, now that we're done with that, I'd like to know what you guys do all day."

"We just play and have fun, just like any other kids," stated Littlefoot.

"Really? Well, whatever you're going to play, count me in, too."

"You want to play with us? But I thought all Matoran were grown-ups." Littlefoot had obviously remembered what the Turaga had said at the meeting about Matoran.

"Just because I'm not as young as you doesn't mean that I have to act that way. Besides, I actually want to be accepted into a group, for once."

"Fine, you can play with us," said Cera.

"So what shall we play if Takua is playing with us?" asked Ruby.

"How about something simple, like hide-and-seek," suggested Littlefoot.

After briefly describing the rules to Takua, the gang was ready to begin the game. Ruby was it, and she began counting.

Takua looked around for a good hiding spot. Cera claimed that she was the best at this game, so she was sure to find a very good hiding spot. Takua, however, had other ideas. If he couldn't find a hiding spot, he would just make one. He then noticed a large boulder with vegetation covering a good amount of it. This gave him an excellent idea. He broke a few large branches off of a nearby tree, sat on the ground with his back against the boulder, and placed the branches over him so that he couldn't be seen. This trick of camouflage work against countless Rahi before. If it worked this good, he might be here for quite a while.

After a few minutes, Ruby had found everyone except for Takua. Cera assumed that he had wandered off again, but the others didn't think so.

Littlefoot stood atop a large boulder to see if Takua was hiding anywhere nearby. As he turned around, he slipped and fell off the boulder. Before he hit the ground, however, he hit something very hard. He then landed on the ground with branches underneath him. That something turned out to be someone, who groaned in pain and said, "Ow, my head."

Littlefoot immediately recognized who that was. "Hey, I found Takua!" he exclaimed. He then noticed that Takua's mask didn't seem to be on his face quite right, so he asked, "Are you alright? Your mask looks crooked."

"I'm fine. This mask just doesn't quite fit me right," said Takua, readjusting his mask. "I don't know why it doesn't fit, but I've been wearing it for as long as I can remember. At least it's a mask that I can actually wear."

Everyone arrived in only a few seconds. Takua described his excellent hiding spot to them. Cera was jealous and claimed that she could make a better hiding spot. Takua accepted the challenge and played a few more rounds with the gang. No matter how much Cera tried, Takua seemed to always come up with a great way to hide. One time, he took off his mask and put it in a bush so that it was visible, while he hid behind a tree. It would have worked, if only his laughter at the others falling for this trick hadn't given him away.

Eventually, Cera gave up and wanted to do something else. At Takua's suggestion, the gang told him of other past adventures they had. They talked about their friend, Ali the Longneck, and how she helped them find the golden night flower. They also talked about the stone of cold fire and how Petrie's uncle, Pterano, got involved in a bad way. They even talked about what happened when the Great Valley felt real cold weather for the first time, the same kind always felt in Ko-Koro.

Sunset soon came, and parents began calling their children home. As the gang began to leave for their nests, Takua pondered on who he would spend the night with. Littlefoot looked back and noticed that Takua was just standing there. Feeling sorry for him, Littlefoot asked, "Do you want to sleep at my nest tonight?"

Takua accepted the offer and followed Littlefoot. They soon arrived at Littlefoot's nest. Takua explained to Littlefoot's grandparents that he would be spending the night here. As Littlefoot sat in his sleeping place, Takua took off his backpack and sat at the base of a nearby tree. Littlefoot looked at Takua and said, "Goodnight Takua."

"Goodnight Littlefoot." said Takua. He leaned his back against the tree and soon fell asleep. Tomorrow, he would take his new friends to see the six Matoran villages.


	10. TaKoro, the Village of Fire

**Chapter 9**

**Ta-Koro, the Village of Fire**

It was now a little before mid-morning. After finishing their breakfast, the gang met up with Takua to begin visiting the Matoran villages. The first village they would visit would be Takua's home village, Ta-Koro. Everyone wanted to know what that place was like, so Takua briefly described it as something that resembled a fortress built on a tall, rocky island in the middle of a lake of lava. They weren't sure about it, but knowing that it had been Takua's home for nearly a thousand years assured them that it might not be that dangerous.

They were now walking through a forest of burnt trees. A recent lava flow had set these trees on fire a few days ago, but at least the fire hadn't spread much further. This place reminded Takua of the Charred Forest that was just outside of Ta-Koro, back on Mata Nui.

As they walked, Littlefoot noticed something. He looked to his right and saw a Matoran. "Hey, look! There's a Matoran over there!" he exclaimed. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at. This Matoran's armor was bright red on all parts of his body, indicating that he was a Ta-Matoran. The strange thing about this Matoran was that he was pacing back and forth very slowly. Everyone decided to walk up to this Matoran to find out why he was doing this.

At yesterday's meeting, the gang had learned that the different mask shapes had their own names. Takua's mask was called a Pakari. The mask this Matoran wore was a Ruru, which was bright red like the rest of his armor. Despite everyone nearby, the Ta-Matoran continued his strangely slow pacing. "Who are you?" asked Littlefoot, hoping to get his attention.

"I am Kapura," he replied. He didn't stop his slow pacing, but just continued. He didn't even look in a different direction as he said this.

Curious about Kapura's slow pacing, Cera asked, "What are you doing?"

"I am practicing."

"Practicing? Practicing what?"

"Vakama says that although I am slow, I may be faster than all the others, and travel very far. He says I must practice. The others think I am just being silly. I practice often."

"What are you talking about?" Cera was starting to get confused and annoyed.

"You are where you are. If I practice, I can be where I am not. I think I can feel it. It is hot where I am, but where I am not is cold, and I think I can feel it. I must practice more."

"Okay... can we go to Ta-Koro now?" asked Cera to Takua. Kapura seemed very weird to Cera, and she didn't want to be near him anymore.

For an obviously different reason, Takua agreed, and headed in the direction of Ta-Koro. The others followed him.

After walking a good distance, Cera said, "That guy is so weird. He says he's slow, but also fast. I don't see how that's possible."

"He does seem unusual for a Ta-Matoran, but Turaga Vakama has great confidence in him, for some reason." said Takua.

"How do you know that?"

"He is entitled Vakama's Left Hand, the second-highest honor any Matoran of Ta-Koro can have."

"Second-highest? Then what's the highest honor?"

"Being entitled Vakama's Right Hand. That title belongs to Jala, who I know very well. He's the closest I've ever had to a friend, before I met you guys. I'll introduce you to him when we get to Ta-Koro."

After walking further through the burnt forest, they reached the base of the Smoking Mountain. There was an open gateway in the side of the mountain. They entered the gateway and saw a giant lake of lava inside the volcanic mountain. In the middle of the lava lake was an island that was as high above the lava as the pathway they stood on. Built on that island was a fortress-like village.

"There it is, Ta-Koro," announced Takua.

Everyone looked around, but they couldn't see a way to actually get into the village. "How do we get over there?" asked Littlefoot. "I don't see a safe way across."

"Don't worry, there's a bridge that can be lowered into or raised up out of the lava. They should be raising the bridge any time now."

A few seconds passed. The gang then heard a low rumbling. Then they saw large columns of rock rise up out of the fire-lake, one by one. The columns were in such positions that, at full height, they formed a rocky bridge with no gaps straight to the main gate.

"Come on, let's go," said Takua, gesturing them to follow him into the village.

The gang followed him across the bridge and through the main gate. As they entered the village, they were amazed at all the activity. Some Ta-Matoran stood on guard atop the walls that surrounded the village. Other Ta-Matoran were hauling carts full of cooled lava to various places in the village. The gang was very curious about what the Ta-Matoran were doing.

"What are all these Matoran doing?" asked Littlefoot.

"Everyone has a job to do." replied Takua. "The Ta-Matoran are always dedicated to their duty, and for most of them, it's doing their job. Turaga Vakama should tell you more about the jobs they do. I'll take you to him." Takua led them to a large hut. Inside stood Turaga Vakama, who was looking into the giant fire in the middle of the hut. "Turaga Vakama, my new friends here would like to know more about this village."

Vakama turned to them. They saw his mask, the orange Noble Huna, and the Firestaff he held. He bowed in respect and said, "Welcome, fellow visitors, to Ta-Koro. If there is anything you wish to ask me, feel free to do so."

"Turaga, they would like to know what the various jobs of the Ta-Matoran are."

Vakama nodded in agreement and began speaking. "Most Ta-Matoran are Lava Farmers. They farm the lava fields and bring in the cooled lava to be crafted into tools or used to build structures in this village. Many others are Lava Surfers, who ride the lava rapids for sport. The more well-known Ta-Matoran are the ones in the Ta-Koro Guard. You may speak with the Captain, Jala, if you wish to know about the Guard. Is there anything more you would like to ask me?"

"Tell them of Toa Tahu." The others were a little confused as Takua said this.

"As you all know, legends foretell the arrival of the six Toa to our island home. Each of them represent the six elements. Tahu is the Toa of Fire, protector of the Ta-Matoran. He is the leader of the Toa, and is the most courageous of them all. He possesses the ability to control heat and flame. The Fire Sword he wields allows him to send forth fire at his opponents. He wears the Great Kanohi Hau, the Great Mask of Shielding, which protects him from any physical attack."

Most of the gang was awed by the description of this legendary hero. Cera, however, wasn't believing in it as much. She thought it was nothing more than just a legend, but she knew it was probably best to say nothing of this.

"Thank you for your wisdom, Turaga." said Takua, bowing before him in respect. "We shall speak with Jala before we leave." Takua left the hut with the others following him. Vakama turned back towards the fire.

Takua knew where to find Jala, so the others simply had to follow him. As they walked, two Lava Farmers walked by and noticed Takua. "What are you doing here?" asked one of them. "I thought you decided to live with those friends of yours."

"Forget about it, he's just one of the visitors," said the other. They both continued on with their work.

"What was that all about?" asked Cera.

"Most of the Matoran in this village don't trust me." replied Takua.

"Why not? Did you do something bad?" asked Ducky.

"No, it's just who I am. I like to travel a lot, and they don't. I guess such a difference has persisted for so long that they've been losing trust in me." The gang wasn't sure if this was true, but they accepted it. "At least Jala is one of few Ta-Matoran who actually accepts having me here."

They soon arrived at an open doorway in one of the village walls, with a large room inside. They walked inside and saw two Ta-Matoran talking to each other. One of them was another guardsman, who held a two-pronged spear like the other guards did. The second seemed more important-looking. He had bright red armor on his arms and torso, and yellow armor on his feet and legs. The mask he wore was a yellow Hau.

"Captain, many of us are restless about this," said the guardsman. "We ask for permission to establish a patrol to see how dangerous the so-called 'Mysterious Beyond' really is."

"You heard the Turaga's orders," said the Captain. "No Matoran is to leave the valley for any reason. We have no idea how great the dangers out there truly are."

"That's what the Turaga said about everything outside of Ta-Koro about two days ago."

"I know, but this time it's different. The Turaga gathered information from the residents of this valley, and they confirm that the land outside the valley is very dangerous. I'm not sure how dangerous, but I'm not going to take any chances. I'll only grant permission for such a patrol when I believe it becomes necessary. Now return to your post, guardsman."

"Yes, Captain," said the guardsman, saluting him. He then walked past the gang and left the room.

The Captain sighed and shook his head. "Some guardsmen know nothing but bravery. They don't understand that a good plan is just as necessary as courage." He then noticed Takua and the others. "These must be your new friends, Takua. I assume they're visiting to learn more about this village."

"Yes, we already spoke with Vakama," replied Takua. "Perhaps you could introduce yourself to them and tell them what you do."

"That's just what I was planning to do." He turned his attention to Littlefoot and the others. "I am Jala, Captain of the Guard, and Right Hand of Turaga Vakama. As Captain of the Guard, it is my duty to defend Ta-Koro, as well as the other villages when necessary. Due to recent events, my duty of protection now extends to everyone inside the Great Valley. If any threat or danger ever arrives, the Guard will be there to fight it off, and we are not afraid to challenge anything."

The gang was very pleased to hear that there were some Matoran who would always be willing to defend their home. The fact that the Ta-Koro Guard was fearless and had faced far greater dangers only encouraged the feeling of protection they now had.

"Currently, I've sent most of my patrols to survey every square-bio of the Great Valley, so that I can be familiar with the terrain and therefore organize my patrols more effectively. Once that is done, I'll establish a few patrols along the Great Wall. I might even send a few to survey the land outside the valley, just to see how great the dangers out there truly are."

"You seem very determined to follow your duty," commented Littlefoot.

"Yes, I am very dedicated to my duty. Of the three virtues, Ta-Matoran value duty the most. Everyone has a duty, you just need to know what yours is. Anyway, I need to get back to my duty, so you may leave now."

"Thanks, Jala," said Takua. "Let's go." He led them out of the room and headed for the main gate.

"Is there anything more to see here?" asked Chomper.

"I could show you how skilled I am at lava surfing," replied Takua. "But I don't think we have time for that today. We'll visit another village."

"Which village will that be?" asked Ducky.

"Ga-Koro, the village of water. It's near the waterfall that you call the Thundering Falls." The gang followed Takua out of Ta-Koro and across the rocky bridge. They then began heading north towards Ga-Koro.


	11. GaKoro, the Village of Water

**Chapter 10**

**Ga-Koro, the Village of Water**

The gang, along with Takua, now headed for Ga-Koro. Takua had said that it was near the Thundering Falls, so they knew where to go. They remembered hearing at yesterday's meeting that all Ga-Matoran were female, while all the other kinds of Matoran were all male. Since Matoran were not created the way dinosaurs were and were simply brought into being, it would make sense if all Matoran were just one gender. Only the Great Spirit himself would know why there were male and female Matoran.

They soon reached the Thundering Falls and the giant lake that had formed beneath it. Floating atop that lake was what had to be Ga-Koro. It was a large group of giant lily pads with huts made of seaweed built on top of them. The lily pads were connected by causeways that were also made of seaweed.

There was only one causeway from the village to the shore, so the gang headed for that causeway. There was a stone gateway on the shore end of the causeway, which was currently open. As they walked across the causeways and lily pads, they noticed that this village was actually floating on the water. It felt kind of strange to them, but at least it seemed more welcoming than Ta-Koro.

They soon reached the center of the village, where they saw Turaga Nokama, who wore a light blue Noble Rau and held her Trident staff, speaking with a Ga-Matoran. This Ga-Matoran had light blue armor on her arms and torso, medium blue armor on her feet and legs, and wore a medium blue Rau.

The Ga-Matoran noticed Takua and his dinosaur friends, so she finished her conversation with Nokama and greeted them. "Welcome to Ga-Koro. I'm Kotu, Left Hand of Turaga Nokama."

Nokama walked up to them and said to Kotu, "It is nice of you to introduce yourself to them, Kotu, but perhaps it is best that I tell them what they would like to know." Kotu nodded in agreement and walked away. Nokama then turned her attention back to them. "It is always good to have visitors to Ga-Koro, such as yourselves. Your eyes are filled with questions about the ways of the Matoran. I can offer as much knowledge as I can in the short time you have to stay here today."

"They would like to know about the various jobs of the Ga-Matoran," said Takua. "I also think you should tell them about the Toa of this village. After that, we'll take a look around this village before we leave."

Nokama nodded in agreement and began speaking. "Most Ga-Matoran spend their days creating materials that are of good use to us, such as rope and sailcloth for boats. Everyone must work together so that this village remains strong. That is why we value the virtue of unity most of all. Many Ga-Matoran are sailors, who travel across the vast seas surrounding our island home. Now that Ga-Koro resides in a lake instead of on the coast, the tasks the sailors can do will now be very limited. As for the Toa of this village, Gali is the Toa of Water. She is wise, and agile, and quick. She is the protector of the sea, and of the lakes and rivers that feed it. Her Great Kanohi Kaukau, the Great Mask of Water Breathing, allows her to breathe freely beneath the waves. Is there anything more you wish to know?"

"No, that will be all," replied Takua. Nokama nodded and walked back to her hut. Takua then followed his friends as they began exploring the floating village.

They passed the shipyard, which was full of docked boats that had nowhere to go in a lake like this. As they began to leave the shipyard, Ducky noticed a Ga-Matoran riding in a small boat. "Look! There is a Ga-Matoran over there! There is, there is!" she exclaimed. Everyone turned to look in the direction she was pointing.

The Ga-Matoran had light blue armor on her arms and torso, medium blue armor on her feet and legs, and wore a medium blue Huna. She was paddling her canoe back to the shipyard when she noticed the young dinosaurs looking at her. She paddled until she was close enough to them to be able to speak with them. "You must be the visitors," she said. "I'm quite amazed that creatures like yourselves are actually real."

"Who are you?" asked Ducky.

"I'm Maku, Right Hand of Turaga Nokama."

"What are you doing in that boat?" asked Littlefoot.

"I have always patrolled the seas near Ga-Koro. I just decided to do the same around this entire lake. By the way, if you haven't visited Po-Koro yet, I suggest that you visit that village next. It's not that far away from here."

"Thanks, Maku," said Takua. "Come on, let's go."

Everyone followed Takua out of the village. Before they got even halfway there, however, Ruby noticed a Ga-Matoran was struggling to pull something out of the water. This Ga-Matoran had light blue armor on her arms and torso, dark blue armor on her feet and legs, and wore a blue Kaukau. Ruby decided to help the Ga-Matoran, so she walked up to her and asked, "Can I help you with your problem?"

"Sure," replied the Ga-Matoran. "Grab that side of the net." Ruby did as she was told and began pulling the net. They soon managed to pull the net, which was full of fish, onto the lily pad they stood on. As the completely organic fish flopped around in the net, the Ga-Matoran sighed and said, "I don't know if I'll ever get used to catching fish that are like this, but I guess I have to try if we're going to be here for a while."

"Is this what you do all day?" asked Ruby.

"No, I do all kinds of various chores around Ga-Koro."

"Chores?"

"Tasks that I have to do every day. It's to make sure that the whole village is working together."

Ruby nodded, understanding what the Ga-Matoran said. "So who are you?"

"I'm Hahli."

"Nice to meet you, Hahli. I'm Ruby, a Fast-Runner." Ruby looked a little to the side and noticed that her friends were already at the stone gateway and were waiting for her. "Sorry, I need to leave now. If you would like any help with your chores, I can come and help you tomorrow."

"That would be great, Ruby. Try to come as early as possible."

"I will," said Ruby as she left and quickly headed for the stone gateway where her friends were.

When Ruby arrived, Cera asked, "What were you doing?"

"I was only offering some help, because it looked like she needed some help," replied Ruby.

"Well now that you're here, we can now go to Po-Koro," said Takua. "It's a little to the north in the desert area of this valley."

Everyone followed Takua as he began heading in that direction. As they left, they each took one more look back at Ga-Koro. Although it was only the second village they had seen, they believed that it was probably the most welcoming of all six villages, probably even worth visiting a few more times.


	12. PoKoro, the Village of Stone

**Chapter 11**

**Po-Koro, the Village of Stone**

"How could it get this hot so quickly?" complained Cera. She wasn't the only one who felt the hot, arid climate. It was strange to walk into another area and quickly feel such a change. At least there was a rocky pathway in this ocean of sand so they wouldn't get lost.

"I'm thirsty," said Chomper.

"Don't count on finding any water in Po-Koro," said Takua. "If there's anything a Po-Matoran hates more than anything else, it's water."

"Why do they hate water so much?" asked Ducky, who could hardly believe such a fact.

"Simple, they can't swim and they'll just sink like a stone."

They continued down the pathway. They were now approaching a fork in the road, but at that crossroads they saw someone. As they got closer, they noticed that it was a Po-Matoran and a few large rocks. Eventually, they saw that there were three large rocks. One was a block of stone, another was a carved way-sign, and the third was being carved into something by the Po-Matoran.

This Po-Matoran had tan armor on his arms and torso, black armor on his feet and legs, and wore a black Ruru. Using the small pickax in his right hand, he carved away at the stone in front of him. He was so focused on carving that he didn't notice Takua and the others until they actually arrived at the fork in the road.

As they approached, he looked at them and said in a proud voice, "Ah, you must be the visitors. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hafu, Left Hand of Turaga Onewa and best stone-carver in all of Po-Koro."

"Stone-carver? What's a stone-carver?" asked Littlefoot.

"Of course! How foolish of me to forget! You're unfamiliar with the art of stone-carving. Us stone-carvers use fine carving tools to cut and shape stone into beautiful works of art. I am currently carving the way-signs for this new pathway. I have finished one and I am now working on the second one. If you wish to see my best masterpiece, just walk down the Path of Prophecies that's just outside the gateway into Po-Koro. Which, by the way, is in that direction." He pointed towards the path to their right and then resumed his stone-carving.

They thanked him and headed down that path. Once they were far enough away, Cera couldn't help but shake her head and say in a sarcastic tone, "And I thought my dad had too much pride for himself."

They soon saw Po-Koro. From the outside, it looked like a large cliff-side that had a giant carving of a Matoran head with a gateway at the mouth of the carving. Just outside the gateway were six giant statues shaped like Matoran heads, three on each side of the path that led to the gateway. As they passed these statues, they were amazed at the sheer size of them and how lifelike they seemed to be.

They soon entered the village and saw how different it was from the outside. The huts were made of stone, most of them carved right from the cliffs that surrounded the village. The air was filled with the sounds of bartering and domestic creatures, sounds that were unfamiliar to the gang.

"What are all those Po-Matoran doing?" asked Littlefoot, gesturing towards the area that was the source of the sounds.

"They're bartering," replied Takua. "That's what they do at the Bazaar there. When you barter, you have to give something in order to get anything there that you want, and the items that are traded have to be accepted by both you and the one you're trading with. You really need to know what you're doing when you barter."

Such a concept seemed very complicated to them. Then again, it seemed like the kind of thing a grown-up would able to do, so they chose to ignore this for now. As they walked further into the village, they faintly heard different sounds. Sounds like shouting and cheering.

"What's that sound?" asked Ruby.

Takua listened to the faint sounds for a few seconds. He then replied, "Sounds like there's a Koli match today. Come on, the Koli field is this way." Everyone followed Takua as he headed for another part of the village.

They soon arrived at what had to be the Koli field. Blocks of stone were arranged in such a way that they formed the outline of a large square on the ground. In place of each of the four corners was a large gap with two upright stone blocks on each side of it, as if to show that this was a goal. Surrounding the square-shaped field were stone seats that were packed full of cheering and shouting Po-Matoran. Whatever was going on here must have been some kind of popular game.

In front of each of the four goals was a Po-Matoran. These four Po-Matoran were kicking what looked like large rocks back and forth between each other. Occasionally, a rock would fly past one of the four Po-Matoran and through the goal behind them.

One Po-Matoran, however, seemed to be so good at this game that none of these rocks ever made it past him and into his goal. This Po-Matoran had tan armor on his arms and torso, dull orange armor on his feet and legs, and wore a dull orange Kakama. In this game he was playing, he always managed to kick away any rocks that came in his direction. The other three players were having a hard time trying to match this player's amazing skills.

Within the crowd of Po-Matoran was Turaga Onewa, who wore his tan Noble Komau and held his Stone Hammer staff. Currently, he was the referee of this Koli match. He soon stood up and called time by raising his staff. The four players immediately stopped kicking the rocks around. As Onewa approached the Po-Matoran with the Kakama, he said, "Another well-played game of Koli by all! Once again, the winner of today's match is Huki, the Koli champion!"

The crowd cheered as Huki, the Po-Matoran with the Kakama, held his arms high to accept the cheering. Onewa then noticed Takua with his dinosaur friends, who were wondering what was happening here. Onewa raised his staff to silence the crowd. Once all was silent, he said, "Return to your jobs, fellow Po-Matoran. The visitors have arrived, and I wish to speak with them." Everyone did as they were told and began leaving the Koli field. Huki, however, stayed behind because he knew that the visitors had watched him playing out there and would likely have questions for him.

Once every Po-Matoran had left, Takua and his dinosaur friends approached Onewa and Huki. "Welcome to Po-Koro," greeted Onewa. "I assume you have been watching the last few minutes of today's Koli match."

"Koli? Is that what those Po-Matoran were playing?" asked Littlefoot.

"Yes it is," replied Huki. "Koli is the most popular sport in all of Mata Nui, our island home. As you already know, I'm Huki, the Koli champion. I am also Right Hand of Turaga Onewa."

Littlefoot thought that he and his friends could try playing Koli sometime, so he asked, "How do you play Koli?"

"The rules are simple, but it takes a lot of skill to be a good player at it. As you can see, we are currently standing in a Koli field, but all you need is four goals, one at each corner of a square. There are four players, one for each goal. To win, you have to kick Koli balls into any of the other three goals, while at the same time stopping the other players from kicking their Koli balls into your goal. The winner is the player who made the most goals by the end of a time limit."

"That sounds like a fun game to play! It does, it does!" exclaimed Ducky.

"Me think it sound fun, too," said Petrie.

"If you want to try it, then you'll need a few Koli balls," said Takua. "I'd like to get you some, but I don't have anything that's worth trading for them at the Bazaar."

Huki picked up a Koli ball that was on the ground nearby and said, "Don't worry, you can have this one." He tossed it to Takua, who caught it. "If you need any more, I've got plenty in my hut." Takua thanked Huki, who then left to return home.

Turaga Onewa turned his attention back to Takua's dinosaur friends and asked, "Are there any questions you like to ask me before you leave?"

"Just one thing, who is the Toa of this village?" asked Littlefoot.

"That would be Pohatu, the Toa of Stone. His great strength can fell even mountains. He wears the Great Kanohi Kakama, the Great Mask of Speed, which grants him speed greater than any creature known to exist."

"Thank you, Turaga Onewa," said Takua. "Now that we have seen everything in this village, we will now leave and go to the next village." Onewa nodded in agreement as Takua and his friends headed for the gateway of the village.

They left the village, walked past the Path of Prophecies again, and arrived at the crossroads where Hafu was just finishing carving the way-sign. As soon they arrived, Hafu finished the last detail on the carving. He proudly held his pickax over his shoulder and said proudly, "Another Hafu original!"

Everyone took a moment to admire his work. This way-sign looked just like the other one. The middle was carved into what looked like the smooth stone used to represent the Great Spirit, Mata Nui. On either side of it was a block of stone that was adjacent to the path it was next to. Carved onto those blocks were Matoran letters that spelled out the names of the places that each path led to. The one on the left said "Ga-Koro," and the one on the right said "Onu-Koro."

"Not bad," commented Petrie.

Hafu was proud to hear such good comments. He then said, "And now to begin carving the third and final way-sign." He approached the uncarved block of stone and began carving.

Most of the gang began to head down the left path. This confused Takua, who then asked, "Where are you going? We already went to Ga-Koro."

"I know," replied Littlefoot. "But I think we need to stop for a while to get some lunch." his friends agreed with him.

Takua decided to agree with them, so he said, "Alright, we'll take a break so you can get something to eat. After that, we'll head down the other path and go to Onu-Koro. Besides, I don't want to carry around this Koli ball all day." Everyone agreed with him and continued heading down the path that would lead them to the lake beneath the thundering falls. They had now visited three villages, and now had three more left to visit.


	13. OnuKoro, the Village of Earth

**Chapter 12**

**Onu-Koro, the Village of Earth**

After taking a break to get a drink and something to eat, the gang was ready to see the next village. Takua led them back down the rocky pathway and further west down the path that led to Onu-Koro. Along the path, the terrain changed from a sandy desert to a rocky region. Eventually, they reached the end of the path at a tunnel entrance.

"Onu-Koro is built in a giant underground cavern, so the only way to get there is to go down that tunnel," said Takua.

"You want us to go down there?" asked Cera.

"It very dark down there," commented Petrie with fear in his voice.

"That's why I have this," replied Takua as he pulled his lightstone out of his backpack.

"Your lightstone," said Littlefoot with a smile. "I forgot about that."

Takua started walking down the tunnel as everyone followed him. It was comforting to have a source of light illuminating the path they were traveling on. Not wanting to get lost in this tunnel, everyone stayed close to Takua and his lightstone.

The tunnel wasn't very long. They soon arrived at a massive underground cavern. This cavern was illuminated by hundreds of lightstones. The light from them showed that there were huts made of earth in this cavern. This had to be the village of Onu-Koro.

As they walked through the heart of the village, they crossed the small bridge that crossed over the small stream that ran through the middle of the village. They arrived at a large hut on the other side of the village. Outside of that hut stood Turaga Whenua, who wore his dark gray Noble Ruru and held his Drill staff.

Whenua approached them and said, "Welcome to Onu-Koro. I have been expecting your arrival, and I am certain that you have questions that you wish to ask me."

"We would like to know what Onu-Matoran do for their jobs," replied Littlefoot. "We would also like to know about the Toa of this village."

Whenua nodded in agreement and began speaking. "Most Onu-Matoran are miners, working all day in the Great Mine to dig up all kinds of useful minerals. Stone is dug up and traded to Po-Koro to be used in carvings. Protodermis, the stuff of life, is brought from deposits within the earth and traded amongst the Matoran. Lightstones and other precious resources are also mined in the Great Mine. Some Onu-Matoran are traders at the Great Market, here in this village. Others are engineers, who build all kinds of machinery that are often used to improve mining. The protector of this village is Onua, the Toa of Earth. He can quickly dig tunnels with his own claws and he is very wise. He wears the Great Kanohi Pakari, the Great Mask of Strength, which grants him far greater strength."

"Thank you, Turaga Whenua," said Takua. "That's all the questions we have. We will explore this village a bit before we leave." Takua, followed by the others, turned around and headed for another part of Onu-Koro.

They were now walking in a part of Onu-Koro where some strange creatures were kept. To the gang, they resembled Sand Creepers, but much bigger and had bio-mechanical bodies, like Matoran. "What are these things?" asked Chomper.

Suddenly, one of these creatures came rushing up to them. Sitting on its back was an Onu-Matoran. This Onu-Matoran had black armor on his arms and torso, purple armor on his feet and legs, and wore a purple Pakari. When the creature stopped, the Onu-Matoran dismounted and answered Chomper's question. "They're Ussal Crabs. They are creatures we have tamed and they are very useful. Some of them help with mining. Others are used in the defense force of Onu-Koro, the Ussalry. However, many of them are often used for racing. Every Onu-Matoran enjoys a good Ussal race."

"Who are you?" asked Littlefoot.

"I'm Onepu, Right Hand of Turaga Whenua and Captain of the Ussalry."

"That Ussal you were riding is very fast," commented Ducky.

"That's Puku. Of all the Ussals I own, she's the fastest. Thanks to her, I've won many races. She's now on the verge of retirement, but still very fast." Onepu mounted and said, "It was nice talking to you, but I need to get back to my duty." Puku then galloped off with Onepu on her back.

After a few seconds, Takua suggested, "Do you want to see the Great Mine?" Everyone agreed and followed him.

They soon reached another tunnel. Carved into the rock above the tunnel entrance were Matoran letters that read "Great Mine". After a short walk, they arrived at the other end of the tunnel. The gang was amazed at what they saw. The mine shaft they saw, one of many in the Great Mine, was huge! It looked as if a massive column of earth had been removed. The walls of the massive mine shaft were circular, and there appeared to be no bottom to it. Scattered around the many levels of this mine shaft were Onu-Matoran miners, hard at work. Their digging areas were illuminated by lightstones, which seemed to the gang like stars in this underground sky.

While they were taking in the awe of the Great Mine, Takua asked for directions from a miner who passed by. After receiving the directions he wanted, Takua thanked him and returned to his friends. "Come on, there's one miner I know who I'm sure would like to meet you."

The gang followed Takua to an elevator. The elevator wasn't very big, but it was big enough for all of them to fit inside. Once everyone was in the elevator, Takua pulled the lever down, causing the elevator to go down. The gang was amazed at how such a thing worked as they descended past many levels. The elevator soon came to a stop. Everyone got out and followed Takua.

They walked into a short tunnel and saw an Onu-Matoran hard at work on the other end. This Onu-Matoran had tan armor on his arms and torso, black armor on his feet and legs, and wore a black Pakari. He was digging at the rock with his large pickax.

Takua asked for his attention. The Onu-Matoran turned around and, when he saw Takua's friends, had a smile on his face. "You must be the visitors," he said, putting down his pickax. "When I heard that you would be coming today, I wanted to greet you right at entrance of the village, but nobody told me when you would visit. At least it was nice of you to come see me here."

"Who are you?" asked Littlefoot.

"I'm Taipu, Left Hand of Turaga Whenua and strongest of the Onu-Matoran."

"You're the strongest Onu-Matoran?" asked Cera. "Prove it!"

Taipu accepted the challenge and walked to a nearby cart that was clearly overflowing with rocks. Taipu pushed the cart with such ease that it seem as if the cart was empty. He pushed it up to Cera and asked her to try to push it. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't even get the cart to budge. Not even when she asked Takua to help. Finally, Cera admitted that Taipu was indeed very strong for someone of his size.

Taipu then changed the subject by asking, "You guys have been on many adventures before, right?" Everyone confirmed this fact. "Let me know when you go on another one. I'd like to join you. I've always wanted to go on an adventure. The only thing that ever prevented me from doing so was my loyalty to Onu-Koro, which is why I dig in the Great Mine all day."

"Don't worry, Taipu," assured Takua. "I promise we'll let you join us on an adventure sometime. For now, we must leave. It was nice talking to you." Taipu said his goodbyes to them and resumed digging.

The ride back up the elevator was just as amazing as the ride down was. When they got back up to the entrance to the Great Mine, the gang wanted to know how the elevator worked. "I don't know," replied Takua. "You'll need to ask an engineer. There's a lot of them here in Onu-Koro. We just need to find one."

When they got back to the village, they tried to find where an engineer would work. Shortly after they began searching, they heard a loud crash behind them. They turned around and saw that an Onu-Matoran had dropped a box full of used machine parts. This Onu-Matoran had black armor on his arms and torso, gray armor on his feet and legs, and wore an orange Pakari. The Onu-Matoran moaned in frustration and said, "I knew it wasn't such a good idea to put it all in one box." He sighed and began putting the parts back into the box.

Takua decided to help the Onu-Matoran pick up all the parts. Once all the parts were back in the box, Takua helped the Onu-Matoran carry the box. The gang had no choice but to follow them. They soon arrived to a place where all kinds of machine parts were stored. Takua and the Onu-Matoran put the box on the ground. "Thanks for the help," said the Onu-Matoran.

"No problem," replied Takua. Curious, he then asked "Who are you?"

"I'm Nuparu, Tunnel Engineer 2nd Class, Marn Tunnel 12, Section 4."

"An engineer! Just the kind of Matoran we were looking for."

"Yes, I'm an engineer. However, I'd like to think of myself as more of an inventor. Allow me to explain it to your dinosaur friends. An inventor is someone who creates a new type of machine that has never been made before."

"What are you trying to invent now?" asked Littlefoot, who was curious about what Nuparu does as an inventor.

"For a long time, I've been trying to invent something that would allow the Matoran to protect themselves from any kind of danger. I've had a lot of ideas, but none of them could be created because of one problem I've always had. I just don't have access to proper materials. The best parts I can get are used ones that I usually find in a scrap yard, like this one. Many of these parts barely even work at all, but it's all I can usually get. Anyway, I think it's time for you to leave. I'm sure you still have other villages to visit, and I have a lot of work do right now."

"Okay, Nuparu, we'll see you another time," said Takua. He then headed for the exit of the village, his friends following him.

As they were heading back up the tunnel that led to the surface, Petrie couldn't help but complain about being underground. "Me hate tunnels. It always so dark," he grumbled.

"You don't like being underground?" asked Takua. "Don't worry. The next village we'll visit will be in the other direction, above the ground. Le-Koro is built high up in the treetops, and I think you will like it there."

They soon reached the surface. After being underground, the bright daylight was almost blinding. After waiting a minute for their eyes to adjust, they were ready to visit the next village. Takua led the way south to the village of Le-Koro.


	14. LeKoro, the Village of Air

**Chapter 13**

**Le-Koro, the Village of Air**

The gang was now following Takua through the dense jungle of the southern side of the Great Valley. It was difficult to avoid all the plant life of the jungle floor. "Why would anyone want to live in a place like this?" grumbled Cera.

"Not even the Le-Matoran would want to live here on the jungle floor," replied Takua. "They prefer to live up in the trees. Now where's that elevator?" After looking around for a few minutes, they found the elevator, near a large tree in a swamp, that would presumably take them up to the village of Le-Koro. It was a large carved-out pod attached to a long vine that went all the way up to the highest branches of the tree above it.

This elevator was smaller than the one in the Great Mine, so it was a tight fit. Once everyone was inside, Takua activated the three levers that caused the elevator to go up. As they ascended, Takua said, "Don't worry if you don't understand what the Le-Matoran are saying. Even I sometimes have a hard time understanding what they say. It's because they speak in a unique slang called tree-speak. It's sort of a way to confuse their enemies, although even they sometimes get confused by it themselves."

The elevator soon arrived at the treetops. As they got out, the gang was amazed to see an entire village built so high up in the trees. The huts were made of various tree parts, and access between each of them was across either a large branch or a wood and rope bridge. In some places, the top part of a large tree was cut off, creating a large central area in those places. This had to be the village of Le-Koro. The sounds of Le-Matoran playing music was heard all over the village.

Takua led the gang to the largest hut. Before entering, Takua warned, "Be careful around Turaga Matau. You wouldn't want to fall for one of his practical jokes." They entered the hut and saw Turaga Matau standing inside. He wore his light-green Noble Mahiki and held his Kau Kau Staff, a staff with a circular saw on the end of it and was named so for the sound it made.

Matau greeted them. "Welcome to tree-bright Le-Koro. Long is the ground-path you must have taken today. You are welcome to stay for as long as you wish. Hey, Threehorn, look left!" Cera looked to her left, but saw nothing. What she didn't know was that one of the floorboards was loose, and Matau had left it that way intentionally so that when he slammed his staff onto it, the other end of the board came up and smacked her in the chin. Matau then burst out laughing.

Cera couldn't believe it, she had fallen for one of Matau's practical jokes. Takua could easily tell that she was furious, so he tried to calm her down by saying, "Let it go, Cera. After all, I did warn you."

Cera sighed and said, "Fine, but I won't fall for another one!"

Matau calmed himself down and said, "We'll see about that, hot-head Threehorn, we'll see. Alright, time for serious-talk. Any information you wish to seek-find that I can offer?"

"Yes," replied Littlefoot. "Tells us about what Le-Matoran in this village do, and tell us about the Toa of this village."

Matau nodded. "Most Le-Matoran are musicians. They play happy-cheer music all day long. Of course, we have faced many Rahi attacks, so a defense force was needed. That defense force is the Gukko Force. They have always been of great help in any defense. You may speak with the Captain if you wish to seek-find more information. The Toa-hero of Le-Koro is Lewa, Toa of Air. He controls the wind and air, and he wields a large Axe. He wears the Great Kanohi Miru, the Great Mask of Levitation, which allows him to hover in the air and land softly."

"Thank you, Turaga Matau," said Takua. "We will stay for a few minutes to see the rest of this village." Takua and his friends then left the hut.

The gang followed Takua as he headed for another part of the village. They were walking across one of the cut-off trees when a Le-Matoran suddenly leaped from the nearby branches and landed right in front of them, startling them. This Le-Matoran had teal armor on his arms and torso, lime green armor on his feet and legs, and wore a lime green Rau.

The Le-Matoran greeted them by cheerfully saying, "Hi, I'm Tamaru! High-fly Vines-man, deep-wood Way-finder, Left Hand of Matau!" He spoke in such a fast pace that they hardly understood a word he said.

"What did he say?" asked Chomper. Takua, however, was used to hearing tree-speak, so he understood what Tamaru had just said. He repeated Tamaru's words in a slower pace so the others could understand what he had just said.

When Takua was finished, Ruby asked Tamaru, "Could you talk at a slower speed so that we can understand what you are saying?"

Tamaru just laughed and exclaimed, "Slow-talk tree-speak? Never!"

"Could you at least tell us where the Captain of the Gukko Force is?" asked Littlefoot. Takua had said they were going to speak with him before they left Le-Koro.

"No hard-luck for you today! He has just returned from patrol! You'll seek-find him that way!" Tamaru pointed towards his left.

Takua thanked him, but Littlefoot was curious about something. "Are you a member of the Gukko Force?" he asked.

Strangely, Tamaru's expression went from cheerful to ashamed. "I wish to be Gukko Force pilot, but... I fly not."

"You no fly?" asked Petrie. "Why?"

Tamaru looked around and then said quietly to them, "I fear heights."

"You? Afraid of Heights?" asked Cera.

Tamaru slowly nodded his head. He had a good reason to feel ashamed of this. He was a Le-Matoran, one of the last beings you would expect to be afraid of heights.

"Do not worry, Tamaru," said Ducky. "Everyone is afraid of something. You should not feel bad about yourself. No, no, no."

These words comforted Tamaru at least a little bit. "Thanks for the spirit-lift, little Swimmer." Tamaru then spoke in his cheerful mood again. "You probably don't have long to stay, so I shall now quick-leave!" Tamaru then leaped off of the tree, grabbed onto a vine, and swung on it until he disappeared from view behind some branches.

Takua and his friends then headed in the direction Tamaru had pointed out. They soon arrived at a place where some strange creatures were kept. These creatures resembled large Flyers, but had four wings instead of two, and had bio-mechanical bodies. They then saw one of these creatures take to the sky with a Le-Matoran on its back.

They then saw another Le-Matoran standing nearby where the creature had taken off. This Le-Matoran had light green armor on his arms and torso, teal armor on his feet and legs, and wore a teal Miru. As Takua and his friends approached, the Le-Matoran turned his attention to them and said, "Visitors, lucky you are not past-late to speak with me. I must soon quick-leave for my next patrol, so I have little time for talk. I am Kongu, Captain of the Gukko Force, fastest Leaf-Runner, Ever-quick pilot, weaver, mapmaker, and Right Hand of Turaga Matau."

"Why do you have to leave soon?" asked Chomper.

"This universe is oak-new to us, so Way-finders must record the terrain for our advantage. The most rapid-quick way of completing such a task is from the sky. Therefore, all Way-finders must be accompanied by Wind-rider Gukko Force pilots."

"What are these strange Flyers?" asked Littlefoot.

"They are Gukko birds. They are hard to tame, but once tamed, they are a great advantage. Wind-riders ride them though the skies and sometimes are faced with battle-flight from high-flying Rahi. Sorry, young ones, but I must now leave on patrol." Kongu then mounted one of the Gukko birds and took to the skies on its back.

Takua then noticed that it was already late in the afternoon, and they had only one village left to visit. He said to his friends, "Come on. We've got one more village left to visit, and not much time left." The gang followed him back to the elevator.

After they descended and got out of the elevator, Petrie said, "Me like Le-Koro. In fact, me want to visit again tomorrow so me can learn tree-speak."

"You want to learn how to talk tree-speak?" asked Ducky.

"Why would you want to do that?" asked Cera.

Petrie shrugged and simply replied, "Me no know. Me like tree-speak."

Cera then said in a sarcastic tone, "Great, now it's going to be even harder for us to understand what he says."

"Me heard that!" shouted Petrie.

Takua and his friends were now heading to the frigid western part of the Great Valley, where they would find the village of Ko-Koro, the only village they had not yet visited.


	15. KoKoro, the Village of Ice

**Chapter 14**

**Ko-Koro, the Village of Ice**

"I can't believe it could possibly be this cold!" exclaimed Cera. Everyone was feeling the cold, even Takua. It was unbelievable how this area could remain so cold when the nearby lands were so much warmer. At yesterday's meeting, the gang had learned simpler terms that Matoran used. For instance, they had learned that hard water was called ice, and the softer form of hard water was called snow.

After walking through the cold snow for a few minutes, they arrived at the entrance of an ice tunnel. "Ko-Koro is on the other side of this passage," said Takua.

The gang followed him through the tunnel. It wasn't long until they reached a small ice cavern. Inside this cavern was a Ko-Matoran who was facing one of the walls. This Ko-Matoran had white armor on his arms and torso, sand blue armor on his feet and legs, and wore a sand blue Komau. The Ko-Matoran was observing various locations from the numerous reflections in ice surfaces he was looking at.

Littlefoot decided to ask this Ko-Matoran a few questions. "Hey, who are you?" he asked. The Ko-Matoran didn't even seem to notice him. He asked his question again. The Ko-Matoran turned around, but said nothing. After repeating the question a third time, he finally replied.

"Kopeke," he said.

"What are you doing?" asked Littlefoot.

"I do not wish to be questioned," replied Kopeke. "If you seek answers, do so in Ko-Koro." he then turned around and continued his observation.

Takua suggested that they should keep going. Reluctantly, Littlefoot agreed. He had wanted to learn more about this Ko-Matoran than just his name. "What's with him?" asked Cera.

"He doesn't like talking," replied Takua. "He prefers solitude."

"You mean he would rather want to just stand there by himself instead of talking to anyone?" asked Ruby.

"Basically, yes. He's more aloof than most Ko-Matoran. Typically, Ko-Matoran are antisocial, but Kopeke is just shy. By the way, I won't expect you'll learn about the Ko-Matoran by asking them, so I'll tell you instead."

"You already know everything about Ko-Matoran?" asked Chomper.

"Of course I do. In fact, I already knew everything that you all learned today. I just thought it would be better for you to learn it directly from them. But in this case, like I said, you can ask me to tell you about what Ko-Matoran do and who the Toa of Ice is."

"Okay, Takua, tell us," said Petrie.

"Most Ko-Matoran spend most of their time working in the Sanctum. Written upon the walls of the Sanctum are many prophecies. Most of the Ko-Matoran who work in the Sanctum take part in the seeking, studying the prophecies and trying to understand them in an attempt to know the future. This is because they value the virtue of destiny the most. The Toa of Ice is Kopaka. Using his Ice Sword, he can freeze anything and create powerful snow storms. He wears the Great Kanohi Akaku, the Great Mask of X-Ray Vision, which allows him to see though any solid objects."

They soon reached the end of the ice tunnel and stepped outside. They were now standing at the edge of a huge crevasse. Spanning the crevasse was an ice bridge. On the other side of the bridge was a small valley between two glaciers. There were no huts, but there were dwellings carved into the icy sides of this valley. This had to be the village of Ko-Koro.

As they crossed the ice bridge, Takua said, "Oh, I forgot to mention something. Kopeke is the Left Hand Matoran of Turaga Nuju."

"Who is the Right Hand Matoran?" asked Ducky.

"We'll meet him in the Sanctum. It's that big structure in the middle of the village."

The Sanctum was indeed big. It resembled a large mountain made of ice, but it had a few windows and a large doorway. Before they entered the Sanctum, Takua said, "When we're in the Sanctum, we have to be as quiet as possible. Ko-Matoran especially hate being interrupted from their work."

They then entered the Sanctum. As they walked through it, they saw Ko-Matoran reading the prophecies written on all of the walls. Remembering to keep quiet, Cera whispered, "This is what they do all day?"

Takua also whispered his reply. "They know it takes years of patience to understand even some of these prophecies, so they dedicate their entire lives to being seers."

They soon arrived at the other side of the Sanctum, where Turaga Nuju, who wore his light gray Noble Matatu and held his Ice Pick staff, and a Ko-Matoran were studying the prophecies on the wall. When they approached them, Nuju turned around to face them.

"Do you wish to tell us something, Turaga Nuju?" asked Takua.

Nuju had not spoken a word at yesterday's meeting, so the gang didn't know what he was like. They were somewhat surprised when he replied with a series of clicks, whistles, and gestures.

Nuju's language did not make any sense to them. "What did he say?" asked Littlefoot.

Again, Nuju replied with a series of clicks, whistles, and gestures.

However, most of those gestures were towards the Ko-Matoran to his right, who was still studying the Wall of Prophecies. This Ko-Matoran had white armor on his arms and torso, sand blue armor on his feet and legs, and wore a sand blue Akaku. The Ko-Matoran looked back and noticed that Takua and the others were looking in his direction. He turned around and said, "He says that if you wish to speak with him, you'll need me to translate his wisdom."

"Who are you?" asked Ruby.

"I'm Matoro, Right Hand of Turaga Nuju. I am also the only one who fully understands his language, so I am his translator."

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Cera. "If Nuju can understand what we're saying, why doesn't he just talk like the rest of us?"

Nuju replied with a series of clicks, whistles, and gestures. Matoro translated, "He says that his philosophy is that if one does not have the patience to hear him speak, then they are not worth talking to."

The gang didn't quite understand what he meant by this. Before they could say anything, Nuju made more of his unusual sounds and gestures. Again, Matoro translated, "He knows that Littlefoot would like to ask him a question."

"I do?" asked Littlefoot.

"I'll tell you something to help you remember. It involves something that dinosaurs call a sleep-story."

Littlefoot thought for a moment. Then he remembered that he had had a very strange sleep-story on the night before yesterday's meeting. He said, "Yes, I do want to ask you something, Turaga Nuju. I had a strange sleep-story, and I was wondering if you could tell me what it means."

"Describe it to him and he will try to determine its meaning."

Littlefoot described his sleep-story as best as he could. As he described it, everyone listened. It didn't seem to make any sense to his friends, and Takua was just as confused as well.

When Littlefoot was finished, Nuju made more of his unusual sounds and gestures. Matoro translated, "He says that your dream seems to represent events that have happened in the past and events that are to happen in the future. At this time, he cannot make any sense of its meaning, but he will look into it."

"Thank you, Turaga Nuju," said Takua. "It's getting late now, so we'll be leaving right now." Everyone said goodbye to Matoro before following Takua out of the Sanctum and Ko-Koro.

By the time they had left the cold region, it was starting to get dark. Now that they were done visiting all of the villages, everyone headed back to their nests.

Littlefoot noticed that Takua was heading towards Ta-Koro. He remembered hearing that Takua wasn't trusted in that village, so it didn't seem fair for him to spend the night there. "Where are you going, Takua?" he asked.

"I'm going back to Ta-Koro," replied Takua. "It's my home."

"Don't you want to sleep at my nest? I don't think you should sleep at a place where you are not accepted."

Takua thought about it for a moment. Littlefoot was right. He wasn't really accepted in Ta-Koro. However, his new friends were more than willing to let him stay with them. "Alright, I'll sleep at your place tonight."

Takua then followed Littlefoot to his nest. Again, Takua decided to sleep at the base of the same tree as he did last night. They said goodnight to each other and soon fell asleep.


	16. Banished

**Chapter 15**

**Banished**

After visiting the six Matoran villages the previous day, everyone had different opinions on each of those villages. Littlefoot was intrigued by everything that all of the Matoran did, and found each of the villages equally fascinating. Cera wasn't fond of many Matoran, such as Kapura, Hafu, Taipu, Le-Matoran, and Ko-Matoran. However, she was quite amazed at how each of the villages actually managed to even exist. Ducky loved Ga-Koro, but didn't find Po-Koro really acceptable simply because Po-Matoran had a strong hatred and fear of water. Petrie didn't like Onu-Koro, but loved Le-Koro so much that he wanted to learn the dialect of the Le-Matoran. Spike didn't have much of an opinion, but he did find villages like Ga-Koro and Le-Koro more acceptable than villages like Ta-Koro and Ko-Koro. Chomper was just as amazed at the Matoran and their villages as Littlefoot was. Ruby was intrigued by how dedicated the Matoran were to their three virtues, as well as how they used those virtues to guide them in their daily lives.

The gang met up with each other in the morning to discuss their thoughts and feelings about the Matoran and their villages. There were some minor arguments, but nothing too serious. When they were done, Petrie left for Le-Koro so he could learn how to talk tree-speak. At the same time, Ruby left for Ga-Koro because she had promised to help Hahli with her chores. The others decided to try playing a game of Koli. They decided to use seeds, like the kind they used in toss-the-seed, instead of the Koli ball Takua got from Huki the previous day.

The four players were Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, and Takua. Chomper and Ducky would be the referees. Thanks to Huki, everyone knew how to play and how to win the game. Not long after they began playing, Takua realized that dinosaurs had an unfair advantage in Koli: they had tails.

Halfway into the game, Takua was exhausted and just gave up. He knew he was going to lose miserably. "They should create a different version of Koli for dinosaurs to play," he commented. Everyone couldn't help but laugh at this comment.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ruby had just arrived in Ga-Koro and was helping Hahli with her daily chores. At the moment, she was helping her repair a net. "I wonder where Maku is," she wondered aloud. "I did not see her in any of the places I would expect to see her."

"She's probably visiting Huki again," replied Hahli.

"The Koli champion in Po-Koro?"

"Yes. Ever since they first met, Maku has always been sneaking out of the village to be with him."

"It sounds like they love each other."

"Indeed they do."

Ruby was having a little difficulty with repairing the net. "Uh, how do I..."

"Here, let me show you." Hahli demonstrated what Ruby was having difficulty with.

Ruby soon managed to get it right. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Hahli then continued the conversation. "Being Matoran, the relationship between Huki and Maku is already as far as it will ever be. Is it true that such a relationship between dinosaurs can go further?"

"Of course it is true. Such a relationship needs to go further than that because it is needed to create new dinosaurs. I may not know how it is done, but I would prefer not to think about it."

"So do I." After a few seconds, Hahli decided to change the subject. "I noticed that one of your friends is a Sharptooth, is that correct?"

"Yes, Chomper is a good friend. He would never hurt anybody. He is barely more than a hatchling, so someone has to take care him. That somebody who takes care of him is me."

"You're his caretaker? I suppose you are already aware of the fact that someone like him can never have permanent residence in a place like this."

"I have been aware of that ever since the day we first came here. But at least now his stay can be a little longer, thanks to the ways Ga-Matoran catch these creatures that you call fish."

"Yes, that's true. Fish are bigger than bugs. But it still won't be enough for him when he is fully grown."

Ruby sighed. "I guess there are some destinies we can't avoid, even if we want to avoid them."

"For now, you should worry about your duty, and that's to take care of him while he is still little."

* * *

By the time Ruby had finished helping Hahli, it was already late afternoon. She decided to spend the rest of the day with her friends. Shortly after she rejoined her friends, Petrie returned from Le-Koro. He had learned some tree-speak words, but still needed practice. Since he was at an unfair disadvantage in Koli with his friends, Takua volunteered to be referee for every game of Koli they would play.

Right now, a game between Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, and Ruby had just finished. Littlefoot had barely won, with the other three close behind. They were about to start another game, when Ducky noticed someone was approaching them. "Jala? What are you doing here?" she asked.

Takua turned around and saw Jala standing nearby.

"What are you doing?" asked Jala to Takua.

"Uh... just playing with my friends," replied Takua.

Jala was silent for a few seconds. "Then I hope, for your sake, they remain your friends for a long time. I'm here to tell you something."

"What is it, Jala?"

"The Ta-Matoran are not going to tolerate you anymore. You're banished from Ta-Koro."

"Banished?"

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Cera. "What did Takua ever do to get banished?"

"I agree," commented Ruby. "I doubt that his love of traveling would be the only reason for him to be banished."

"Don't tell me you still haven't realized the truth yet, Takua." said Jala

"What do you mean?" asked Littlefoot.

Jala then turned his attention to the others. "He always wanders off every chance he gets. He refuses to do any work he is told to do. He would much rather travel somewhere than to do the duty of a Ta-Matoran. He may resemble a Ta-Matoran, he may be considered a Ta-Matoran, but, somehow, he's not really a Ta-Matoran."

Takua felt terrible about himself. His closest friend had just told him that he had been banished from the only place he ever considered a home. And worse, he now knew every reason why this was so.

Before leaving, Jala comforted Takua by saying, "I'll be honest with you, Takua, if the decision was mine to make, you wouldn't be banished."

"Thanks," said Takua in a noticeably sad voice. Jala turned around and headed back to Ta-Koro.

Depressed, Takua just sat down on the ground where he stood.

Littlefoot could tell something was troubling Takua. "Takua? Are you alright?" he asked.

Takua just sighed and said, "Ta-Koro was the only place I ever considered a home. I knew I was different, but I never thought I was different enough to eventually get banished. I... I just don't know what I'm going to do now."

"Do not worry, Takua," assured Ducky. "You are always welcome to be with us. You are, you are."

"Just because the Ta-Matoran don't like you doesn't mean that nobody will like you," commented Ruby.

"Besides, you already have a place to sleep, and that's at my nest," said Littlefoot.

Takua felt comforted by these comments. He may had been banished from Ta-Koro, but he now had friends who were always willing to be there for him, no matter what. With more confidence in his voice, he said, "Thanks, you guys are the best."

Nightfall soon arrived, and everyone headed back to their sleeping places. Takua followed Littlefoot to what he now considered his new home. As they got into their sleeping places, Takua said, "Thanks again for letting me stay here, Littlefoot."

"You're welcome," replied Littlefoot. "You needed a place to stay, so I offered one. Goodnight, Takua."

"Goodnight, Littlefoot." The two of them soon fell asleep. A new life for both of them had just begun.


	17. Rahi Attack!

**Chapter 16**

**Rahi Attack!**

It had now been many days since Takua was banished from Ta-Koro. Takua was now so close to his new friends, they actually considered him one of them. Also, Petrie was now talking excellent tree-speak in combination with his old form of talking, which, of course, made it very difficult for his words to be understood.

The dinosaurs of the Great Valley and the Matoran were getting along quite well, by now. There were still minor disagreements, but they were willing to put up with it. After all, the Matoran wouldn't be staying in the valley forever. As soon as a way back to Mata Nui was discovered, the Matoran would return there as soon as possible. In the meantime, they would spend this time enjoying the kind of peace they never had since before Makuta had started his spread of darkness.

Today, the gang wanted to play a game of Koli. As always, Takua would be the referee. Unfortunately, he had wandered off, yet again. Because of this, they now had to find him.

"This is stupid!" exclaimed Cera. "Why does he always keep wandering off like this?"

"I guess he really does like to travel around a lot," commented Chomper.

"But where we seek-find him?" asked Petrie. "We no know where he wander off to."

"Do not worry, Petrie," replied Ducky. "I am sure we will find him. Yep, yep, yep."

They searched for nearly an hour longer, and they still had not found Takua.

"Takua!" called Littlefoot. "Takua! Where are you?"

"I do wonder why he always wanders off without even telling anyone where he wanders off to," wondered Ruby.

"If we find him, I'll make sure he doesn't try to wander off again," said Cera.

"I sure hope we find him soon. I do, I do," said Ducky.

Suddenly, they saw someone fly out from behind some nearby trees and crash-land in front of them on its back. They soon noticed that it was Takua who had just been thrown to them.

"Takua!" exclaimed Littlefoot as he ran up to him.

"Are you alright, Takua?" asked Ducky.

Takua got up, readjusted his mask, and replied, "I'm fine, but I suggest we get out of here now!"

"Why do you say that?" asked Ruby.

Suddenly, a large creature appeared from behind the trees. It was a lizard-like creature that stood on its hind legs and was more than twice as tall as any of them. It had powerful forearms, and had a bio-mechanical body, indicating that it must have come from the island of Mata Nui. Takua was the only one to notice that this creature wore a mask that covered a part of its face, and that mask appeared rusted and pitted.

"That," replied Takua, pointing at the creature.

The creature roared at them and thrust one of its forearms at them, attempting to hit one of them. The punch was aimed at Ruby, who managed to jump out of the way in time.

"Run!" shouted Takua. Everyone did as he said, and ran from the creature as fast as they could. The creature quickly chased them.

They continued to run from the creature. Littlefoot then tripped over a small rock, causing him to fall forward. He quickly turned around to find himself face-to-face with the creature. It roared again and prepared to thrust one of its powerful forearms at him.

Suddenly, a circular object flew through the air and struck the creature in the head. The object landed near Littlefoot, who noticed that it was a throwing disk, the primary ranged weapon of any Matoran defense force. He then heard someone shout, "Charge!" Suddenly, half a dozen Ta-Matoran guardsmen, who held their two-pronged spears, shouted and charged at the creature and surrounded it. There had to have been more guardsmen nearby because, occasionally, a throwing disk would fly out from behind the trees and hit the creature.

The creature tried to fight back. It thrust its forearms forward, missing one guardsman but hitting another one, sending him flying backwards. One guardsman then turned to face Littlefoot and shouted, "Get out of here, kid! We'll handle this!" Littlefoot did as he was told and ran off to rejoin his friends, who had stopped running not too far from where he was.

Everyone waited a minute to catch their breath. "What was that thing?" asked Chomper.

"Tarakava," replied Takua. "One of the dangerous kinds of Rahi, and by dangerous I mean the kind of Rahi Makuta used to attack the Matoran."

"Why would it attack us like that?" asked Littlefoot.

"Did you notice the mask it was wearing? It was an infected mask. Any creature that wears an infected mask is placed under the control of Makuta."

"So you're saying that Makuta can control anyone just by having them wear an infected mask?" asked Cera.

"Exactly, and that can only mean one thing: Makuta must be here in the dinosaur universe. I wouldn't even be surprised if he was here in the Great Valley."

"Evil-bad Makuta here in Great Valley!?" exclaimed Petrie.

"What are we going to do?" asked Ducky.

"I'm certain that Tarakava won't be the only Rahi attack. There's no doubt the Turaga will call for a meeting, and I suggest that we go there too."

"And where will that meeting be?" asked Littlefoot.

"The Kini-Nui temple, where else?" Takua began heading to the Kini-Nui, with his friends following him. Something terrible was happening, and they wanted to find out what they should do.


	18. The Shadows Return

**Chapter 17**

**The Shadows Return**

By the time Takua and his friends arrived at Kini-Nui, a large crowd of dinosaurs had already gathered around the temple. There were a lot of discussions going on among the crowd. They managed to reach the front of the crowd to see the six Turaga standing atop the temple, quietly talking among themselves. They also noticed Jala, Kongu, and Onepu were also present. They were the captains of their defense forces, so this meeting had to be about something serious for them to be here.

One Ta-Matoran guardsman walked up to Jala and spoke to him. The gang couldn't hear what they were saying, but they guessed that guardsman was confirming another Rahi attack to the Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard. The guardsman finished and headed back to where he came from.

Finally, the Turaga were ready to begin the meeting. Vakama called for the attention of the crowd by saying, "Fellow dinosaurs of the Great Valley, we have called this meeting here today to discuss our current situation."

"I'll tell you what the current situation is, we're being attacked!" exclaimed Cera's father. "These... things... are attacking everyone in the valley, and they only started appearing just today!" Most of the crowd agreed with him. Some, however, were not so aggressive on the subject, like Littlefoot's grandparents.

Vakama replied, "Mr. Threehorn, I assure you that Rahi, no matter how dangerous they may be, do not attack without purpose."

"Then what are the intentions of these Rahi that have attacked us?" asked Littlefoot's grandfather.

"I'll answer that," replied Jala as he stepped forward and crossed his arms. "Based on the reports Onepu, Kongu, and I have received, all of the Rahi that attacked have one thing in common: they are wearing infected masks. For those of you who don't know, any creature that wears an infected mask is placed under the control of Makuta. This can only indicate one thing: Makuta has somehow followed us here to the dinosaur universe."

The crowd gasped and began talking among themselves again. Where they came from, Matoran feared Makuta more than anything else. If Makuta was here in this universe, the dinosaurs of the Great Valley would have good reason to be afraid. After all, if such a being was feared so greatly, then he must be capable of doing terrifying things.

Littlefoot's grandfather called for silence. Once the crowd had quieted down, he turned to Jala and asked, "You Matoran say that you have dealt with dangers from Makuta for nearly a thousand years. Can you assure us that you will be just as willing to protect the Great Valley from these same dangers?"

Jala sighed and was silent for a second. He replied, "I can guarantee that we will do our best to fight off these dangers, but I can't guarantee that we'll be able to keep everyone safe. Before we came to the Great Valley, our status on Mata Nui wasn't looking very good. The Rahi had gotten tougher to fight off in the last few days, so we were beginning to fall back. True, a millennium worth of fighting had taken its toll on the guards, but I fear that the Rahi were never really attacking us until just recently. I doubt that even the few days worth of peace that we've had will be enough to allow us to continuously hold back the Rahi. If the Rahi are going to step-up their offense at this time, then this could mean that there is something in this universe that Makuta wants. That's only a theory of mine, but we can't take any chances."

Jala decided to continue to explain the situation, hoping to provide confidence and, thus, prevent the dinosaurs from blaming the Matoran for the Rahi attacks. "The Guard, the Ussalry, and the Gukko Force have spent the last few days surveying the land within, and just beyond, the Great Valley, and it was a good thing we did. Although we are still a little unfamiliar with this land, Makuta and the Rahi are barely familiar at all, and this gives us one advantage. Overall, however, I fear we may be at a disadvantage against the Rahi. Despite this, we must all do what we can to prevail! No matter what the odds, as long as we stand, we shall not fail! Even if we are doomed to fall, we shall not go down without a fight! The Matoran are determined to defeat the Rahi for good, and I'm sure that the dinosaurs of the Great Valley will be willing to protect their home! If we work together, we will stand our best chance at defeating the Rahi!"

The crowd cheered as Jala finished his speech. He may have been small, being a Matoran, but he was full of courage. It was this kind of courage that would help everyone in this time of crisis that had recently arrived. Jala had succeeded in providing great confidence to the dinosaurs of the Great Valley.

Once the cheering had died down, Onepu stepped forward and stated, "If any of you wish to help us fight off the Rahi, you will need as much knowledge about the Rahi as we can provide you with."

The crowd agreed on this, so they asked for useful information on all the different kinds of dangerous Rahi. Jala, Kongu, and Onepu provided the information. They described the different kinds of Rahi, where they were found, how they attacked, and they best way to defeat them.

They spoke of many different kinds of Rahi. Tarakava were lizard-like creatures that dwelled in shallow water and attacked using their powerful forearms to stun their prey with powerful punches. Nui-Jaga were large scorpion creatures that were often found in desert regions and attacked using their strong claws and powerful, sometimes deadly, stingers. Nui-Rama were large flying insects that were often found in jungle regions and attacked in very large swarms. That was to name only a few of them.

Now that they knew what they would be fighting, the dinosaurs wanted to know what they could do to help the Matoran. The Turaga had already decided where each kind of dinosaur would be most helpful. For all of the dinosaurs that wanted to help fight the Rahi, all fliers would join the Gukko Force, all who wouldn't mind carrying Matoran on their backs would join the Ussalry, and everyone else would join the Guard.

The Matoran would also do their part to protect their new home, the Great Valley. Patrols would be set up at vital locations across the valley. Patrols would also be set up along the Great Wall. Sharpteeth were not as dangerous as Rahi, but they were still a threat that should continuously be watched. Also, to ensure that none of the children would be in danger from the Rahi, a few guardsmen would stand guard near them at all times. Those guardsmen would probably consider themselves unlucky to have "babysitting duties," as they would probably call it.

Now that everyone knew what their duties would be during this time of Rahi attacks, the meeting was over. Many dinosaurs followed either Jala, Onepu, or Kongu, so that they could begin training to fight off Rahi. As the Turaga began to leave, the gang talked to each other about what this would all mean to them.

"What's going to happen now?" asked Chomper.

"Looks like we'll be running from the same kind of dangers I've been running from for the last thousand years," replied Takua.

"I do wonder why Makuta would even want to come here in the first place," wondered Ruby.

"Jala did suggest that maybe Makuta is looking for something in this universe," commented Littlefoot.

"You think that true, Takua?" asked Petrie.

"I don't know, Petrie," replied Takua. "I honestly don't know."


	19. Into the Mysterious Beyond

**Chapter 18**

**Into the Mysterious Beyond**

"Takua."

Takua turned around to see Matoro standing behind him. "Matoro," he said, startled. "Sorry, I didn't even notice you were here."

"I'm Turaga Nuju's translator. Everywhere he goes, I have to go with him."

"Hey, did Turaga Nuju manage to figure out what my strange sleep-story means?" asked Littlefoot.

"No, he's still working on that. But I do have something to give you."

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

Matoro handed Takua a small stone tablet. "A deciphered prophecy."

Takua looked at the writing on the tablet, written in Matoran letters. Takua read the words. "'The answers lie beyond.' What does that mean?" he asked.

"I am forbidden to tell you the full meaning," replied Matoro. "You'll need to figure that out for yourselves." He then turned around and followed Nuju back to Ko-Koro.

Takua then walked up to the Kini-Nui and sat on one of the steps at the base of the temple. He repeated the words on the tablet. He then said, "Let's think about what each part of this prophecy means. First, the answers. What kind of problem will those answers solve?"

Everyone thought for a moment. Then Littlefoot came up with something. He replied, "Maybe those answers would help send Makuta back to where he came from."

"What makes you say that?" asked Cera, who thought that it was just a random comment.

"Think about it, why is Makuta here? The best reason we have for now is that he's looking for something. What kind of something would he be looking for? It would make sense if it was something that could be used to stop him. If we could find it before he does, we could actually stop him. That something must be the answer."

"But the prophecy says 'answers', so whatever that something is, there must be more than one of that something," commented Ruby.

"Alright, so now we know we need to find some items that we can use to defeat Makuta," stated Takua. "But where will we find them?" He read the words on the tablet again. "'The answers lie beyond.' Beyond where?"

Again, everyone thought for a moment. As he was thinking, Takua looked at the Great Wall in the distance. He stared at it for a few seconds. He got an idea. "Hey, guys, how many times have you been in the Mysterious Beyond?" he asked.

"I don't know," replied Littlefoot. "I've lost count by now."

"Really? In that case, I'd say we get going now."

"What are you talking about?" asked Cera.

"I'm sure you won't mind going on another adventure in the Mysterious Beyond, only this time..." Takua put the tablet in his backpack and put his backpack on. "I'll be coming with you."

The gang wasn't sure about this, but what choice did they have? Besides, this did make that prophecy make sense. They agreed with Takua's plan, and headed for the exit of the Great Valley.

* * *

Takua didn't need to go very far into the Mysterious Beyond to realize why the Great Valley was a more preferable place to live. This place was a barren wasteland with jagged mountains. Even the most desolate places in the valley were more welcoming than this place. They were currently walking on a narrow pathway along the side of a cliff.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" asked Chomper.

"I don't know," replied Takua. "All I know is that it is something that we need to find, and we'll find it somewhere out here."

"I bet we'll find nothing out here!" exclaimed Cera. "What makes you think we're actually going to find something?"

"Matoro offered us help, and I say we should accept every bit of help we can get."

"But Matoro didn't even tell us what those words really meant. How can that be help?"

"Matoro said that he was forbidden to tell us what that prophecy meant, so maybe we were supposed to figure out on our own what that prophecy meant," replied Ruby.

"What makes you say that?"

"I just believe that it is a part of our destiny."

"When did you become such a big believer in destiny?"

"Ever since I first went to Ko-Koro."

Cera wanted to say something, but decided to end the conversation instead. For her, this was getting nowhere.

"If we need to find something in the Mysterious Beyond, where exactly are we going to find it?" asked Littlefoot.

"I don't know," replied Takua. "We'll just need to keep looking."

Petrie moaned in frustration and exclaimed, "Us gonna be lost-wandering!"

"Don't worry, Petrie, I'd never let that happen. At least, not without realizing it."

Suddenly, everyone heard a faint roar. "What was that?" asked Takua.

"That was a Fast-Biter," replied Chomper. "They're not as big as the big Sharpteeth, but still very dangerous."

Everyone then heard another roar. "That roar sounded like it was close by," commented Takua. "I wonder where that Fast-Biter is."

"Down there," replied Cera, who was looking over the edge of the cliff. Everyone looked over the edge and saw a pack of Fast-Biters standing far beneath them.

"Well at least we are up here and they are down there," commented Ruby.

"That is a good thing. It is, it is," said Ducky.

Spike nodded in agreement.

"Come on, let's keep going," said Takua. He had barely moved a few steps when, suddenly, the rock beneath him crumbled away, causing him to fall off the edge. He couldn't react quick enough to grab onto another part of the ledge.

"Takua!" shouted Littlefoot.

As Takua fell, he hit some rocks on the cliff a few times before finally hitting the ground. Since a Matoran body was not entirely organic, it wasn't as painful to him as it would have been for any of the others. He groaned in pain and looked up to see the pack of Fast-Biters slowly approaching him. _Uh-oh, this isn't going to be good_, he thought to himself.


	20. A Strange Discovery

**Chapter 19**

**A Strange Discovery**

Takua was too terrified to move. He knew he needed get up and run away, but his body wouldn't respond. As the pack of Fast-Biters slowly approached him, he knew he was going to die. Suddenly, one of the Fast-Biters rushed to him and used his foot to hold down Takua's head.

Littlefoot and the others were watching from atop the cliff above. They could hardly believe what was happening, and they knew what was going to happen. Petrie covered his eyes and said, "Me no look!"

Takua knew what would come next. The Fast-Biter bit down on Takua's neck as hard as he could. Strangely, Takua felt pressure, but no pain on his neck. What happened next was even more strange. The Fast-Biter let go of Takua's neck and squealed in pain. _What just happened?_ thought Takua.

Up on the cliff, Chomper was the first one to notice what had happened. "Takua is alright!" he exclaimed.

"How do you know?" asked Littlefoot.

"That Fast-Biter broke all of his teeth trying to bite Takua's neck. He says that Takua's neck is tougher than a rock."

Takua looked up to see the Fast-Biter shaking his head around, apparently, in pain. The pack then said a few things to themselves in their Sharptooth language. After that, they all ran off to find better food. Takua then stood up and felt his neck. He barely felt any scratches at all!

"Takua!" shouted Littlefoot. "Are you alright, Takua?"

Takua looked up to see the others staring at him in disbelief. "Surprisingly, yes," he replied. "I barely felt anything at all."

Cera then remembered that Takua's body, like those of other Matoran, was covered almost entirely in some kind of armor. "What's your armor made of, Takua?" she asked.

"Protodermis," he replied. "That's why it's called the stuff of life, because every creature is made up of it. At least, in the Matoran universe." Takua now realized that if those Fast-Biters had such a weak bite, then dinosaur bodies must be very fragile compared to Matoran bodies.

Takua then looked at the cliff he had fallen from. Seeing all the rocks he must have hit, he was actually glad that he was the one to fall instead of one of his friends. Although there were many rocks, the cliff seemed too steep for him to climb up. Besides, he didn't even have proper climbing equipment. "Well, I guess climbing back up is out of the question," he said to his friends.

He looked to the left and noticed a small cave opening at the bottom of the cliff. He then said to his friends, "I see a cave over there! I'm going in there to see if it's a way back up there." Before anyone could protest, Takua headed right towards the cave entrance.

As Takua took his lightstone out of his backpack, Littlefoot asked, "Are you sure about this?"

"Not really," replied Takua. "But it's the only plan I can come up with. Besides, I think I see the other end of the cave up there to your right." Everyone looked right and, sure enough, there was another cave entrance. "You guys head down that cave and I'll head up this one. Hopefully, we'll meet up somewhere in the middle." Takua then walked into the cave.

Everyone then looked into the cave they would have to go into. Petrie was uncertain about going underground, as expected. "We have to go down there?" he asked.

"Like we have a choice," replied Cera, sarcastically, before heading into the cave. Everyone else soon followed.

"I don't know about this," said Chomper, nervously. "We don't even have a lightstone."

"Do not worry, Chomper," assured Ducky. "Takua has his lightstone, so when we find him, he will get us out of here safely. He will, he will."

"Me hope Takua seek-finds us before something else does," said Petrie, nervously.

* * *

Takua had been walking through the cave for a few minutes. His hopes weren't looking too good. He was going forward a lot, but hardly going up, which was the direction he wanted to go. Maybe he was taking a few wrong turns.

Suddenly, he heard a quiet hiss. Takua turned to his right and, thanks to the light from his lightstone, saw an underground river. He had heard about what kind of creatures could be lurking in such waters in this universe, and he knew they were usually not good. He then noticed the water ripple a little, so he aimed his lightstone at where the ripples came from.

After a few seconds of eerie silence, a large jaw full of sharp teeth sprang forth from the water. Takua jumped back and the jaw snapped shut at where he stood only a second ago. The glow from his lightstone revealed what this creature was. Based on the descriptions he had heard, he knew what this creature was: a Belly-Dragger.

Takua quickly looked back and noticed a small cliff that he could climb up onto. Without considering alternatives, Takua quickly turned around and scrambled up the cliff. Fortunately, the climb wasn't too difficult, and his panicked state allowed him to get up there quickly. Once he was atop the cliff, he looked down to see the Belly-Dragger hissing angrily at him. Since the Belly-Dragger couldn't get to him, Takua couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Tough luck, Belly-Dragger!" Takua then turned to his left and continued on into the cave.

The next few minutes saw better luck for Takua. He was now heading up almost as much as he was heading forward. The ground soon leveled off as he continued on forward. At the moment, there wasn't a cave wall to his right, but a massive cavern that stretched so far out and so far down that his lightstone couldn't pierce the darkness. If he walked too far to the right, he would fall down a steep slope, and who knew how far he would fall? He then noticed the entrance to a small cavern on his left. He decided to enter it to see what was inside.

As soon as he walked inside, Takua saw something amazing. Sitting on a pedestal at the other end of the cavern was a stone tablet. A hole in the ceiling allowed sunlight to enter the cavern and shine directly onto the tablet. Although he didn't know how this tablet came to be here, he knew it must be something of great importance, so he decided to bring it with him.

Takua walked up to the tablet and picked it up. Suddenly, the pedestal sunk into the ground and he felt the ground start to shake. _Uh-oh, that can't be good,_ he thought. Large rocks began to fall from the ceiling. He knew that if he didn't get out of there fast, he would surely get crushed by all these rocks. He rushed to the cavern entrance while dodging all of the falling rocks. He managed to get out just before a large rock came down and blocked the entrance. Then, as suddenly as it began, the quaking stopped.

Now that things had calmed down, Takua decided to read what was written on the tablet. Despite having his lightstone, he couldn't figure out what the words meant. It was written in an ancient language that he couldn't read. Perhaps the Turaga might be able to make some sense of it. He put the tablet in his backpack and continued on through the cave.

Unfortunately, the recent tremors had weakened the rock of the cave floor so much that Takua didn't go far before the rock crumbled away, sending him and a small rock-slide down the slope. Takua decided to ride atop one of the larger rocks, hoping to avoid as much injury as possible. He then noticed a large rock jutting out of the slope, and he was headed right for it. Just as he expected, his rock hit the other rock and the impact caused him to get launched into the air. He was launched so high into the air that he didn't think he would start falling for quite a while.

* * *

Littlefoot and the others had been walking down the cave for many minutes by now. To their left was, instead of a cave wall, a massive cavern that stretched endlessly out and down, and the slope down it was clearly too steep to be able to climb back up. Suddenly, they felt a small earth-shake which abruptly ended only a few seconds after it started. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of rocks falling. They then noticed a light emerging from the dark cavern, along with the sound of someone screaming in terror.

What happened next happened unbelievably fast. By the time the light revealed what the screaming object was, it was only a fraction of a second away from them. The being slammed head-first into Cera, knocking the wind out of her as she was slammed aside. The being then slammed into the cave wall, upside-down, and fell to the ground on his back.

They soon realized that the being was Takua. "Hi, guys," he said, weakly. "I just thought I'd drop in."

"Are you alright, Takua?" asked Ducky.

"I'll be fine," he replied as he managed to stand up and readjust his mask.

Cera had also recovered from the hard impact. "Alright, Takua, what happened?" she asked, a little irritated.

"Not much. I got chased up a cliff by a belly-dragger, I nearly got crushed by a hail of rocks, I got dragged down a slope by a rock-slide, launched into the air, and slammed head-first into you. Oh, and did I mention that I found something interesting?"

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"This," replied Takua, as he took the tablet out of his backpack and set it on the ground for everyone to see. Everyone was filled with awe and wonder as they looked at the tablet and writing etched onto it.

"What does it say?" asked Littlefoot.

"I don't know. It's too ancient for me to understand it. I was thinking that we should take it back to the Great Valley and have the Turaga take a look at it."

"You actually want to go home now?" asked Cera, a little confused.

"Like I said, we came out here to find something of importance, and I think this tablet might be that. Now let's head back the way you came so we can get back home." Everyone agreed with him. After Takua put the tablet back into his backpack, they turned around and headed back in the direction the gang had come from.

However, they didn't go far when, suddenly, the ceiling of the cave ahead of them collapsed, blocking off their intended path with a wall of rocks. Apparently, the earth-shake had weakened the rock that made up the ceiling of the cave. The rocks were clearly too large to move.

"Too bad we don't have Taipu with us," commented Takua. "He would be able to move these rocks aside as if they were pebbles."

"What are we going to do now?" asked Chomper.

"I guess we'll just have to go the other way, and hope that it's a way out of here." Takua then turned around and headed in the opposite direction through the cave. The others followed him, having no other choice.

After a few minutes, they actually managed to find a way out of the cave system without encountering any dangers, but not where they wanted to end up. They were now at the same cave entrance that Takua had originally entered. Despite this, they still wanted to find a way to get back to the Great Valley. After Takua put away his lightstone, they turned left and headed in what they hoped was the right direction.


	21. An Old Enemy

**Chapter 20**

**An Old Enemy**

Takua and his friends were now walking along the floor of a barren canyon. They had recently lost sight of the path they had originally taken, so they now had to actually find a way to get back into the Great Valley. So far, things weren't looking too good.

"How much further do we have to go?" asked Chomper.

"Hopefully, it won't be much further," replied Takua.

"I seriously doubt that we'll find a way home anytime soon," said Cera.

Petrie moaned in frustration and exclaimed, "Us lost-wandering!"

"Look on the bright side, Petrie," commented Ruby. "At least we are only lost and not in any danger."

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard throughout the canyon. "What was that?" asked Takua, a little panicked.

"That's Redclaw," replied Chomper. "He's the biggest and meanest Sharptooth in the Mysterious Beyond."

Then the roars of two Fast-Biters were heard from behind them. Those two Fast-Biters then appeared from behind one of the cliffs of the canyon behind the gang. "That's Screech and Thud. Those Fast-Biters are often with Redclaw," stated Chomper.

Takua started bravely walking towards the Fast-Biters and said, "Stand aside, I'll deal with them."

Suddenly, Redclaw appeared from behind the cliff and stood behind Screech and Thud. Redclaw then let out a mighty roar, terrifying everyone.

Takua stopped in his tracks and said in a nervous tone, "Okay, Fast-Biters are one thing, but that big guy... yeah, now I'm terrified." Takua then turned around and ran away, screaming. Everyone else did likewise. Redclaw and the Fast-Biters quickly gave chase.

The gang was chased through the canyon a good distance. Littlefoot then noticed a large rock to the left that would be able to hide them all. "Over here!" he shouted as he quickly turned left to hide behind the rock. Everyone followed and hid behind the rock.

Redclaw and the Fast-Biters soon arrived at the area. They had now lost sight of the gang and their strange new companion. They began sniffing the air to find any of their scents.

Chomper had not told anyone yet, but ever since he first met Takua, he had noticed that Matoran have a unique scent. Not a bad one, but unique. He knew that if Takua was with him and his friends, Redclaw would find them more quickly than usual. He had to think of a way to convince Takua to get away from them.

Fortunately, he wouldn't have to worry about that, because Takua began climbing up the large rock they were hiding behind. "What are you doing?" asked Littlefoot.

"Get out of here, guys. I'll distract him," replied Takua.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Ducky.

Takua stopped climbing for a second to look at them. "Not at all!" he replied without hesitation. He then resumed climbing, leaving his friends very confused. He soon reached the top of the large rock. He noticed a few small rocks there, so he grabbed one and threw it at Redclaw, hitting him in the side of the face. "Hey, ugly! Over here!" he shouted. He then threw another rock at him, hitting him near the eye.

Redclaw responded by charging towards the rock and attempting to bite Takua. However, Takua jumped away just in time. He tried to grab onto the canyon wall, but he lost his grip and slid down it until he hit the ground. Dazed, he slowly shook his head and stood up. When he looked back towards the rock, he was shocked to see his friends were still hiding in the same place behind the rock. "I thought I told you to run!" he exclaimed.

Suddenly, Redclaw appeared from behind the rock and roared loudly at them. "Perhaps now would be a good time to run!" exclaimed Ruby. Everyone agreed and, once again, ran away from Redclaw, screaming. Again, Redclaw and the Fast-Biters gave chase.

Takua was falling behind, but he was doing this intentionally. He wanted to distract Redclaw, so his friends could escape. But if his friends knew this, they would try to stay with him, so he had to get away without being noticed. It worked, but not as he expected. His friends ran off, unknowingly, without him, but Screech and Thud ran past him and went after them. Redclaw, however, focused on him.

Takua knew that if he was going to do something, he would have to do it fast. He quickly rushed to the canyon wall and began climbing. He had no plan, he was making it up as he progressed. Redclaw tried to bite Takua, but missed. However, the impact on the canyon wall was enough to cause Takua to lose his grip and fall off. Thinking fast, he grabbed onto Redclaw's left arm, swung from it like a vine, then let go and did a mid-air back-flip, and focused the impact of his fall directly onto Redclaw's right foot. The impact-landing was enough to cause him to bounce off the foot a little and land on the ground nearby. He stumbled a little before continuing his run. Just as Takua had hoped, his impact had caused Redclaw some noticeable pain. He roared in pain and hopped around a little on his uninjured foot. It didn't last long. Redclaw ignored the pain and continued the chase.

Takua quickly rushed forward to catch up with his friends. He came around a corner to see Screech and Thud, but his friends were nowhere to be found. The two Fast-Biters noticed him, and began charging at him. Takua looked back to see Redclaw closing in on him fast. Seeing that he was trapped, he knew that he had no choice. He would have to fight his way out of this.

Gathering up all the courage he could, Takua charged at the Fast-Biters, yelling the whole way. He shoulder-rammed into Screech. The impact was hard enough to knock the Fast-Biter unconscious and sent flying back a little. Thud then charged at Takua. He responded with a good punch across the face, knocking out the other Fast-Biter. Redclaw continued his charge towards Takua. Although he easily dealt with Screech and Thud, Takua knew he wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Redclaw.

Takua then noticed a small cave entrance in the canyon wall, just large enough for him to fit through. Without second thoughts, Takua leaped into the cave as Redclaw's massive jaw snapped shut at his former location. Takua had not noticed that the cave went downhill, so his initial leap had caused him to tumble down the cave uncontrollably. He finally stopped when he collided with a cave wall where the cave leveled off and turned sharply in one direction.

Takua regained his senses within a few seconds. He was suddenly surprised to see all of his friends standing right next to him. Apparently, they had run into this cave for safety. "Takua! You're alright!" exclaimed Littlefoot. Takua could tell they were all pleased to see him here.

Petrie then flew in front of Takua and exclaimed, "Rock-head! You could've been Sharptooth-bones!"

"Could've been, but I'm not," replied Takua with a smile on his face. He then stood up and readjusted his mask. "Okay, unless we want to get eaten, it looks like we only have one way to go, and that's to go further into this cave." Takua headed down the cave with the others following him.

"I hope this cave leads us right to Great Valley," said Cera, frustrated. "I'm getting sick and tired of making so many unexpected changes in direction."

"How can you say that? That's what's so great about an adventure. You never know what's going to happen."

"It may be great for you, but not for me."

"That's because you don't wander around as much as Takua," stated Chomper. The others couldn't help but laugh at this statement.

After a few minutes of walking, the gang arrived at the exit of the cave, where a Ta-Matoran guardsman was standing guard. This meant that they had finally arrived back in the Great Valley. The guard noticed them and exclaimed, "What are you doing over here!? Don't you know it's dangerous for children like yourselves to be anywhere without a proper escort!?"

"Don't worry, we were able to make it home safely," assured Takua, hoping to not get himself and his friends in trouble.

"What were you even doing out there in the Mysterious Beyond, anyway?"

Takua thought for a moment. He couldn't come up with a reasonable excuse. His friends also tried to think of such an excuse, but with no luck.

The guardsman just sighed and said, "I should report you to the Captain, but from what I've heard about your group in particular, you always somehow end up in the Mysterious Beyond. I'd say you're just as bad as Takua, here. I'll let you go this time, but when somebody actually gets injured, I will be reporting."

The gang thanked him and walked back into the valley. "Now that we're back in the Great Valley, what are we going to do?" asked Littlefoot.

"I did say that we should show that tablet I found to the Turaga," replied Takua. "Usually, I would go to Turaga Vakama for advice, but I can't because I'm now banished from Ta-Koro. I think we should show it to Turaga Nuju. I'm sure he'll be able to figure out if it means anything important."

Everyone agreed with him and began heading for Ko-Koro. One way or another, they were going to find out what was written on the tablet.


	22. The Energy Stones

**Chapter 21**

**The Energy Stones**

The gang had gone to Ko-Koro to show Turaga Nuju the tablet that Takua had found. Nuju was unable to understand most of it, but he did ask that they have the other Turaga join him in a meeting at the Kini-Nui temple. Not only did they gather the Turaga, but they also asked a few of the Great Valley residents to attend as well.

Now it was late in the evening, and everyone was gathered around Kini-Nui, where the Turaga stood. Nokama was capable of translating written language, so she was helping Nuju with understanding the writing on the tablet. Everyone waited patiently to hear what the Turaga had to say.

The Turaga stepped forward to begin the meeting. Nokama held up the tablet and said, "This tablet describes the existence of great items of power: the Stones of Elemental Energy." Everyone in the crowd was surprised to hear this, including the gang. What were these "Stones of Elemental Energy"?

Vakama stepped forward and said, "Before we describe the purpose of these stones, we have a confession to make. Back on Mata Nui, our hopes that the Toa would one day arrive provided us with great encouragement to fight off the Rahi until that day came. However, now that we face the Rahi here in a different universe, there is no hope of the Toa coming to rescue us from the shadows of Makuta. We chose not to tell anyone, not even the Matoran, because it would easily discourage everyone to the point of failure. But fear not, my friends. We now have a new hope to stop Makuta."

Nokama began to describe what was written on the tablet. "Each of the Energy Stones contain elemental energy of each of the elements. Whoever possesses those stones will have the ability to control the elements of whatever Energy Stones they possess. They will not have as much power as a Toa, but still enough to be a worthy opponent."

"Looks like Jala's theory has been proven," stated Takua. "There is no doubt that Makuta will want these stones to prevent any chance of being defeated. We need to find these Energy Stones before he does. Where do we begin our search?"

"The tablet says that clues to each of the Energy Stones will be revealed on this tablet one at a time. How these clues will be revealed, I am uncertain."

"Whatever must be done, we will do everything we can to find these Energy Stones," said Vakama. "For now, my friends, let us return to our resting areas. It is now very late, and I am sure that we could all use a good night's rest."

"I agree," said Littlefoot's grandfather. "It is getting late, so we shall worry about this tomorrow."

The Turaga left and headed back to their villages. As the dinosaurs headed back to their nests, they all had mixed feelings about the Energy Stones.

Many believed that the Energy Stones actually existed, simply because it was the only thing they could hope for. Some of those believers believed in the existence of those stones for more than just that reason. Cera's father was among those who did not believe in the existence of those stones. He was willing to put his faith in something that was already working to fight off the Rahi, and that was to simply fight them off.

As the gang headed back to each of their nests, Ta-Matoran guards went with each of them. The gang had forgotten that, as part of the Matoran's effort to protect the Great Valley, some guards were periodically assigned the duty of protecting children. None of those guards liked it, but while some didn't mind it much, others greatly despised it. Complaints about this were not uncommon. Often, the younger a child was, the more the guard hated watching over that child. Despite the hatred, it was still a duty they were willing to accept.

Takua and Littlefoot also had a guard with them as they headed to their sleeping area with Littlefoot's grandparents. The guard couldn't help but complain about Takua's recklessness. "Alright, rock-head, what were you up to this time?" asked the guard.

Takua looked at him and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Why did you go into the Mysterious Beyond without a proper escort? Why did you even bother to bring those kids with you?"

Takua shrugged. "I didn't think it would be a problem. They had been in the Mysterious Beyond countless times, so I figured one more time wouldn't hurt."

"Do you have any idea what kind of dangers are out there?"

"Oh yes, I even saw them myself. By the way, you might want to tell Jala that we shouldn't have to worry about Fast-Biters. They have an incredibly weak bite on a Matoran body, and I have a barely scratched neck to prove it."

"Let me guess, you got yourself attacked by Sharpteeth."

"Yeah, but I handled those Fast-Biters with no problem. I just didn't want to take on that big Sharptooth because... well... he's big! And that alone is terrifying enough for me."

"About time you actually did something smart."

Takua knew that he had actually attempted to take on that big Sharptooth. He just didn't want to talk about it to the guard.

"And don't think about using a search for the Energy Stones as an excuse to go wandering off with your dinosaur friends again!"

"What makes you say that?" asked Littlefoot.

"If Makuta wants these stones, there's no doubt that searching for these stones will be very dangerous. Leave it to us, we can handle the risks."

"Don't worry, I'll let the guards do their part. You can look for the Energy Stones," replied Takua. Littlefoot noticed that Takua had his hands behind his back and his fingers were crossed. He knew that Takua was intentionally letting him see this. He immediately knew what Takua was actually thinking, and he agreed with him.

When they reached their sleeping spots, the guardsman stood guard a few meters away and faced away from them. Littlefoot decided that the distance would be good enough. "I know what you're really thinking, Takua," whispered Littlefoot quietly enough so the guard wouldn't hear. "You want to find those Energy Stones yourself."

"Yes, I want to find the Energy Stones," replied Takua just as quietly. "But I don't want to find them on my own. I want you and the rest of our friends to help me find them."

"Don't worry, Takua. We will help you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Littlefoot."

Both of them soon fell asleep. Tomorrow, they would begin their search for the Stones of Elemental Energy.


	23. The Quest Begins

**Chapter 22**

**The Quest Begins**

It was the middle of the morning, and Takua and the gang were at Kini-Nui. Since this place was already well-guarded, they were all glad to not have those Ta-Matoran guards personally watching over them constantly. The tablet they had found yesterday had been left here and now sat atop a short pedestal. Despite all the information the tablet provided, they couldn't help but notice that most of the tablet was blank. The writing covered only the top quarter of the tablet.

"So... where do we begin?" asked Cera.

"I don't know," replied Takua. "The tablet said that clues to find each of the Energy Stones will be revealed one at a time. So maybe we are supposed to read the first clue, find an Energy Stone using that clue, then read the next clue, find another Energy Stone using that clue, and so on."

"But how will the clues be revealed?" asked Ducky.

"I'd like an answer to that question as much as any of you would. However, I do have something good to say. Remember that small tablet that Matoro gave us? I think it was not referring to this tablet, but to the Energy Stones themselves. So wherever we will find the Energy Stones, they will not be in the Great Valley."

Ruby then noticed Chomper jumping as high as he could in front of the pedestal. She could easily guess what he wanted. "Do you want to see the tablet, Chomper?" she asked.

Chomper nodded. Ruby then picked him up and lifted him high enough for him to see the tablet. He didn't know why he wanted to see it. Maybe there was something on it that the others missed. As soon as his hands touched the tablet, something amazing happened. A single row of letters suddenly appeared just below the writing on the tablet. Everyone else quickly noticed this. "Did I do that?" asked Chomper who was completely shocked at what had just happened.

Takua took a look at the new writing. "Well, at least I can read it," he said.

"What does it say?" asked Littlefoot.

Takua immediately noticed a symbol before the words. It was a horizontal line with four dots under it. "I recognize that symbol. That's the symbol for the element of earth. This must be a clue to find the Energy Stone of Earth. It says 'Seek within a tunnel within a cave'."

"What does that mean?" asked Chomper.

"Me think it wants us to seek-find Energy Stone underground," replied Petrie, who was clearly annoyed by such a fact.

"I can agree on what Petrie said, but I can't agree on something else about that clue. What is the difference between a tunnel and a cave?" asked Ruby.

"I'm actually not sure," replied Takua. "But I think I know someone who would."

* * *

"Onepu!"

Onepu turned around to see Takua and his dinosaur friends approaching him. "What brings you here to Onu-Koro?" he asked.

"Have you heard about the Energy Stones?" asked Takua.

"Yes, Turaga Whenua just told us about it this morning."

"We just found a clue to the Energy Stone of Earth, and we need you to help us figure out what it means."

"Alright, what does the clue say?"

"It says 'Seek within a tunnel within a cave'. We were wondering if you could tell us what the difference is between a tunnel and a cave."

"Sure, a cave is an underground area that forms naturally. A tunnel is an underground passage that was dug out by someone. If you want to find the Energy Stone, I suggest you look for a cave and look within that cave for any signs of digging having occurred there."

"Thanks for your help. I guess we'll be leaving now." Takua and his friends then turned around and began to leave.

"Oh no you won't. You're not going anywhere." Everyone turned around to face Onepu. Onepu then smiled. "Not without me."

"You want to help us find the Energy Stone?" asked Littlefoot. "Why?"

"You need a proper escort, and of all the Onu-Matoran, I'm the best choice there is. I am Captain of the Ussalry. I'll even bring an Ussal crab with me for assistance."

"Thanks," said Takua. "As soon as you're ready, we'll meet you at the entrance of Onu-Koro."

"Agreed. While I'm getting some supplies for us, I recommend you ask Taipu to accompany us as well. He may not be the brightest lightstone in Onu-Koro, but his great strength could prove valuable on such a journey."

"Good idea. We'll go to the Great Mine and tell him that you want him to join us." Takua then turned around and headed for the Great Mine. His friends followed right behind him.

As Chomper walked, he remembered another Onu-Matoran that he and his friends had met during their previous visit to Onu-Koro. He believed that this Onu-Matoran would also be useful in this search for an Energy Stone. "You guys go ahead. I'll meet you at the village entrance," he said before turning around and heading somewhere else. Ruby decided to follow Chomper, while the others decided to continue towards the Great Mine.

After about a minute, Chomper entered what he assumed was the correct hut. Inside, he found the Onu-Matoran he was looking for: Nuparu. Nuparu was busy disassembling a very rusty machine part, but Chomper hardly noticed. "Hey, Nuparu?" asked Chomper.

"Come back another time. I'm busy right now," Nuparu quickly replied without even looking away form his work. He was now struggling to unscrew a bolt that was very difficult to remove due to all of the corrosion on it.

Chomper decided to ask his question to Nuparu anyway. "I was wondering if you would like to help us find one of the Energy Stones."

The instant Chomper finished saying this, the wrench Nuparu was using suddenly slipped off the bolt and painfully smacked Nuparu on his left wrist. He quickly dropped the wrench and clutched his wrist while he grunted in pain. He then grumbled, "Stupid piece of junk. I'm sending you back to the scrap pile."

Frustrated, Nuparu quickly grabbed the rusty machine part and carried it out of his hut. Chomper and Ruby were smart enough to move out of his way as he left the hut. They then followed him to where he got the rusty machine part. He then tossed the machine part towards a pile of scrap, too frustrated to care about where it ended up.

Nuparu calmed himself down after a few seconds. He then turned his attention to Ruby and Chomper and asked, "Alright, what were you saying?"

At first, Chomper didn't want to say anything, but he soon noticed that Nuparu really wasn't angry or frustrated anymore. He replied, "I was wondering if you would like to help us find one of the Energy Stones."

Nuparu thought about this for a moment. He then said, "I do have some digging equipment that could be useful. Alright, I'll help you. Just let me get my things and I'll be right with you."

"Thank you. Meet us at the village entrance." Chomper and Ruby then headed there while Nuparu headed back to his hut to get a few things.

Ruby and Chomper waited at the entrance of Onu-Koro for a few minutes. Takua and the others were the first to arrive, along with Taipu. Taipu was very excited to be able to go on an adventure, especially so soon. "Don't get your hopes up," said Cera to Taipu.

Onepu was the next to arrive. He assured everyone that Turaga Whenua had granted them permission to go on this search. Onepu had decided to bring his fastest Ussal, Puku, because he believed that they should be prepared to run from any danger. Not knowing how long the search might take, he decided to bring enough supplies to last them for a few days.

Takua told Onepu about the fact that they would be searching for the Energy Stone in the Mysterious Beyond. Based on reports from the Le-Koro Gukko Force, Onepu suggested that they begin their search in the north, where many cave entrances were sighted. Onepu also suggested that Takua, for his own safety, should carry a throwing disk with him at all times now, so he gave him one of his own. Takua decided to put it in his backpack for now.

Nuparu soon arrived, carrying a backpack full of various items. He simply said that he was bringing more than just some digging equipment.

Now that everyone was ready, they all left the village to begin the first part of a quest to find the Energy Stones.


	24. A Quick Escape

**Chapter 23**

**A Quick Escape**

The gang, along with the three Onu-Matoran who had volunteered to help them, had recently entered the Mysterious Beyond to begin their search for the Energy Stone of Earth. They were now walking through a small canyon. While the others walked, Onepu was riding on Puku's back, since she belonged to him.

Petrie was flying not too far above everyone. He couldn't help but find it interesting that he was traveling with four Matoran, and they all wore the same kind of mask. He thought that perhaps the Pakari was a popular kind of mask, at least for Onu-Matoran.

Taipu, being so enthusiastic about being on an adventure, was practically running all over the place as he tried to find a cave for them to search. Obviously, his attempts were proving futile.

Cera was having a hard time trying to tolerate Taipu's behavior. She sighed and asked Takua, "Remind me again, why did we even bring him with us anyway?"

"Because he's the strongest Onu-Matoran," replied Takua. "If something were to happen, like we get buried by a rock-slide, he may be the only one who could save us."

Cera shook her head and sighed. She would just have to put up with it for now.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot noticed that Nuparu was scribbling something on a stone tablet. Curious, he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Drawing sketches," replied Nuparu.

"Of what?"

Nuparu then showed Littlefoot the sketch he was making of a Fast-Runner, like Ruby. "Different types of dinosaurs. I figured that while I'm out here, I should take notes on how the bodies of different kinds of dinosaurs are built and how they work for certain purposes. I think it might help inspire me to create an excellent invention."

"Wow, how much have you got so far?"

"Quite a few, actually. This one for example, Fast-Runners are built for speed. They are lightweight, compared to other dinosaurs of their size, and they have long thin legs for excellent speed." Nuparu then reached into his backpack and pulled out a sketch of a Flyer he made."Another example, Flyers have a very small, lightweight body to make flying possible. Also, to keep them airborne, nearly half of their surface area, or skin as you would probably call it, is on their wings."

"Wow, you seem very smart, Nuparu."

Nuparu then put the sketches away. "I just take careful notes on everything I notice. It's amazing what you can learn just by observing."

"Could you tell me what you know about Longnecks?"

"I'm not studying dinosaurs _that_ much. I'm an engineer, not a biologist."

While the group continued walking, Redclaw, Screech, and Thud watched them from behind one of the canyon walls. The intentions of these Sharpteeth were now more evil than before. A strange creature named Makuta had spoken to them. He had asked them to stop those kids and their Matoran friends from finding the Energy Stones. In return, he promised them total control over the Great Valley once he left to return to his universe.

They noticed that the kids were not only traveling with the same strange creature they had seen earlier, but now there were three more of those strange creatures. That could easily mean that they were searching for one of the Energy Stones. Now that their goal was clear, they decided the time had come to take action.

The group of dinosaurs and Matoran were still walking when, suddenly, they heard a loud roar throughout the canyon. "What was that?" asked a very panicked Taipu.

"That would be a Sharptooth, and I'm talking about a big one." replied Cera. They then heard that roar again, along with the roars of two Fast-Biters. Everyone looked back and saw Redclaw, Screech, and Thud approaching them.

"Them again!?" exclaimed Takua.

"You've seen them before?" asked Onepu.

"Yeah, back when I found that tablet yesterday. They're probably the worst group of Sharpteeth we'll see out here, so I say we start running!" Takua then ran as fast as he could. Everyone else soon followed.

Taipu was easily convinced to run. Nuparu was uncertain at first, but decided that it would probably be best for him to stick with the group. Onepu tried to urge Puku to run. However, when the Sharpteeth began chasing them, Puku panicked and took off with such force that Onepu fell off and had to run on his own.

When Takua looked back and noticed Puku coming in his direction very fast, he got an idea. It was a crazy idea, but he was willing to try it. As soon as Puku was beside him, he jumped onto Puku's back and tried to urge her to turn around and run in the opposite direction. Surprisingly, she did so with almost no hesitation, as if she was being very loyal to him.

As Takua rushed past his friends and the Onu-Matoran, he shouted, "Get out of here! I'll distract them!" He rushed past them so quickly, they didn't have time to object him.

Puku quickly carried Takua towards the Sharpteeth. Considering how fast Puku could run, Takua believed he would be able to easily outrun the Sharpteeth. He urged Puku to run around in all directions, greatly confusing the Sharpteeth. No matter how hard they tried, the Sharpteeth just weren't fast enough to catch them.

Meanwhile, the others were still running. Suddenly, Nuparu stopped and shouted, "Everyone, wait!" Everyone immediately stopped and turned to face him.

Onepu thought Nuparu wanted to do something that would be unnecessary for such a time and place. "Nuparu, we don't have time for this!" he exclaimed.

"Of course we do! Takua is distracting them for the moment, so we'll use this time to escape from the danger."

"And we'll do that by running!"

"No! We won't be able to outrun that big guy!" Nuparu gestured towards Redclaw. "Instead, I suggest we get to a place where they can't reach us. Up that cliff." Nuparu pointed up at the canyon wall to his left.

"Do you really expect us to climb up that cliff?" asked Cera.

"Not exactly. Onepu, Taipu, follow me." Nuparu then quickly hurried up the cliff. Taipu quickly followed. Onepu was unsure about what Nuparu was planning, but he decided to follow anyway.

"Hey! What about us?" exclaimed Chomper.

"Don't worry! I've got some rope in my backpack. As soon as we reach the top, we'll lower the rope, you grab on, and we'll haul you up the cliff." Now that everyone knew Nuparu's plan, it made perfect sense to all of them, so they were willing to follow it.

Takua and Puku were still busy confusing the Sharpteeth. Takua then noticed the Onu-Matoran climbing up the cliff while the others waited below. Clearly, they were planning something. He decided to help them by continuing his distractions, since it was working very well. He urged Puku to continue running around.

Once the Onu-Matoran reached the top of the cliff, Nuparu took three long ropes out of his backpack. The Onu-Matoran each grabbed one and lowered the ropes down. They were just long enough to reach the canyon floor.

Once everyone was holding onto the ropes, the Onu-Matoran began pulling them up. Onepu lifted Ruby and Chomper, while Taipu lifted Cera, Ducky, and Spike, and Nuparu lifted Littlefoot. Petrie, being a Flyer, had no need to be hauled up, so he just flew up to the top of the cliff.

Thanks to Taipu's immense strength, Cera, Ducky, and Spike were at the top in no time. Ruby and Chomper soon reached the top as well. Littlefoot was almost at the top when, suddenly, the rock beneath Nuparu's feet crumbled away, forcing him to let go of the rope and back up to prevent himself from falling off the edge. This made Littlefoot fall to what would very likely be his death. The others could do nothing but watch in horror.

Fortunately, Takua had seen this happen just in time. Ignoring the Sharpteeth, he urged Puku to run as fast as possible towards where Littlefoot would land. Puku was indeed very fast. She reached the location at just the right time. "I got you!" shouted Takua as he tried to catch Littlefoot. However, Littlefoot's size caused him to land on top of Takua and nearly made them both fall off of Puku's back. Everyone was relieved to see that Littlefoot was alright.

No longer distracted, the Sharpteeth were approaching fast. The added weight clearly slowed down Puku. Onepu knew that Puku was trained to be fast, not to haul things around. He knew there was only one way that Takua and Littlefoot would be able to escape. "Puku! Up here, Puku!" he called.

Puku obeyed and headed towards Onepu. It would be tricky, but not impossible, since Ussals were capable of climbing up vertical rock. As Puku began climbing up, Takua and Littlefoot held on as best as they could. Fortunately, by the time the Sharpteeth arrived, they had just moved out of reach of even Redclaw. Puku soon reached the top of the cliff, where Takua and Littlefoot hopped off.

Takua patted Puku and said, "Good job, Puku." Puku responded by licking him repeatedly. Takua laughed and said, "I guess she likes me." Everyone else laughed as well. Redclaw's loud roar of frustration brought them all back to reality. Everyone looked down into the canyon to see Redclaw and the Fast-Biters walk away. Now that the danger was over, it was time to continue the search for the Energy Stone of Earth.

"Alright, Puku, back where you belong," said Onepu. Puku obeyed and let Onepu climb onto her back. "Okay, where shall we continue our search?"

"How about that cave over there?" asked Taipu, pointing at a large cave entrance nearby. "We were looking for a cave, right?" Indeed, they were looking for a cave, since that would be where the Energy Stone would be hidden. In fact, this was the first cave they had seen all day.

Everyone approached the cave entrance. "Alright everyone, when we enter this cave, look for any signs of digging having been done here," said Onepu. "If we do, we'll likely find a tunnel that will lead us to the Energy Stone." Everyone then split up and began searching the cave.

Within a few minutes, Chomper found something unusual about the shape of a smaller cave that branched off. The walls of it seemed very smooth. Almost like the tunnels of Onu-Koro. "Hey guys! Look at what I found!" he shouted.

Everyone soon arrived to see what Chomper had found. "Looks like someone blasted a hole in the wall," commented Nuparu.

Onepu took out a lightstone and used it to see further into the darkness. "It's a tunnel," he stated. "I guess this is where we'll find the Energy Stone."

"Tunnels again?" complained Petrie. "Why not seek-find Energy Stone up in the trees?"

"I guess you're the Le-Matoran of the group," commented Taipu.

"Enough with the jokes," said Onepu. "We need to find the Energy Stone, and we need to find it now." Onepu then urged Puku to bring him into the tunnel. Everyone else followed him. Takua also decided to take out his lightstone, considering how dark it was in this tunnel.

After a few minutes of walking, they soon arrived at a place where the tunnel split in two directions. Nobody knew which direction they should go in. "Okay, somebody choose: left or right?" said Petrie.

Takua was about to suggest that they should split up and look down both tunnels when, suddenly, he felt the ground starting to shake. Everyone else felt it too. "Earthshake!" shouted most of the kids.

"I guess that's what dinosaurs call an earthquake," commented Nuparu.

Onepu then heard a cracking noise. He looked up to see cracks rapidly forming in the ceiling of the tunnel. This definitely meant a cave-in would occur. "The ceiling's collapsing! Run!" he shouted.

Everyone ran in different directions to avoid the falling rocks. None of them knew which way they ran, nor did they care. Eventually, the falling rocks raised so much dust into the air that it became impossible to see anything. The earthquake soon stopped, along with the caving-in of the tunnel. Then all was quiet.


	25. Separated

**Chapter 24**

**Separated**

The dust raised by the tunnel caving-in began to settle. Petrie had flown back the way the group had come to avoid the falling rocks. Now he was flying back to the site, fearing that he would see some of his friends crushed by the rocks, or worse, all of them.

The only one he saw was Cera. She was on the ground, but no rocks had fallen onto her, fortunately. "You alright, Cera?" asked Petrie.

Cera slowly got up and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine." Cera then looked around and noticed that they were the only ones in this part of the tunnel. "Where's everybody else?" she asked.

"Me no know. You think they were crushed-flattened by rocks?"

"I sure hope not."

Suddenly, they heard some of the rocks start to shift. They both looked to where they thought they heard the noise. They then heard a grunting noise as one of the rocks was suddenly shoved aside by someone. That someone grunted as he pulled himself out from underneath the rocks. They quickly noticed that it was Taipu.

"Taipu! You alright!" exclaimed Petrie.

"Of course I'm alright," replied Taipu. "I've had bigger rocks come down on my head before, and even that didn't bother me much." He then looked around and noticed that Cera and Petrie were the only ones with him. "Where's everybody else?"

"I'm guessing they're stuck on the other side of those rocks," replied Cera, gesturing towards the cave-in.

Taipu turned to face the rocks. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess I'd better start digging." He then grabbed a rock that was easily more than twice his size. He struggled for a second, but he soon managed to lift the rock onto his shoulders. He then raised it over his head and tossed it aside a few meters. The rock broke into a dozen pieces when it hit the ground.

"Wow, you very strong, Taipu," commented Petrie.

"Yeah, but I'm a slow digger. It may take me a while to clear away all these rocks. I just hope everyone else is alright." Taipu then lifted another large rock and tossed it aside.

* * *

Some of the others who were also alright were in the tunnel that went to the left. Thanks to Puku's fast legs, Onepu managed to get away from the cave-in. He returned to see the entire tunnel blocked off. That was the bad news. The good news was that at least some of the young dinosaurs were okay. "Is everyone alright?" he asked them.

"I am okay. I am, I am," replied Ducky as she got up. Spike got up and smiled to let everyone know he was okay. "And Spike is okay too. Yep, yep, yep."

"We may be alright, but I'm not sure if any of the others are also alright," said Ruby as she also got up.

Onepu took a look at the rocks that had piled up in front of him. Most of them were too big for him to move. He listened closely for a few seconds for anyone on the other side, but heard nothing. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do here. We can only hope that Taipu will be able to clear away enough of these rocks to allow us to find the others."

"Why are you putting your faith in Taipu?" asked Ruby.

"Remember how I said that his great strength could prove valuable on this search? Well, it seems that it's now become a necessity. Most of these rocks are so massive that only someone with his strength can move them aside."

"What are we going to do?" asked Ducky.

"We came here to search for the Energy Stone, and I say we should still look for it. Taipu is a slow digger, and I'm sure you would much rather come with me than to wait here for hours." Onepu then urged Puku to carry him further into the tunnel. He was glad to have his lightstone, since this tunnel was quite dark.

Ruby, Ducky, and Spike had no choice but to follow him. Before leaving, Ruby took one last look at the cave-in, silently hoping that everyone else, especially Chomper, would be alright.

* * *

In the tunnel that went to the right, Takua, Nuparu, Littlefoot, and Chomper were recovering from the cave-in. "Is everyone alright?" asked Takua.

"I'm okay," replied Littlefoot.

"Me too," replied Chomper.

"I'm fine, but I think that cave-in has separated us from the others," said Nuparu who looked at the massive rocks that blocked up the tunnel. Everyone else looked at the cave-in as well.

Takua walked up to the rocks and shouted, "Hey! Is anyone there!? Can anyone hear me!?" Everyone listened, but they heard nothing.

"What are we going to do?" asked Chomper.

"I do have digging equipment, but I don't think any of us have the stamina to dig through all of these rocks. Instead, I suggest that we continue on into the tunnel and try to find the Energy Stone. We'll let Taipu handle the digging."

"Good idea," said Takua. "While we wait for someone as strong as Taipu to dig us out, we should search for the Energy Stone." Takua then led the way into the tunnel.

After about a minute of walking, the four of them had found nothing in the tunnel. "I wonder how far this tunnel goes," said Littlefoot.

"I'm more interested in finding out who dug this tunnel," said Nuparu. "I'm guessing this tunnel was probably dug to provide an excellent hiding place for the Energy Stone. In fact, I'd like to know where the Energy Stones came from in the first place."

"I would like to know the answers to those questions, too."

"I hope we don't run into anything dangerous," said Chomper.

"Don't worry," said Takua. "As long as I have my lightstone, nothing bad is going to happen to- woah!" Takua suddenly tripped on a rock. The fall caused him to drop his lightstone. After hitting the ground, he looked up just in time to see the lightstone fall through a crack in the ground. He rushed towards the crack, but it was already too late. He looked though the crack to see the lightstone fall a long way until it plunged into an underground body of water.

Takua moaned in frustration and said, "I lost my lightstone."

Without Takua's lightstone, Littlefoot and Chomper quickly realized how dark it really was in these tunnels. Littlefoot didn't panic. He remembered that lightstones came from the Great Mine in Onu-Koro. He asked, "Nuparu, do you happen to have a lightstone in your backpack?"

"Of course I do," replied Nuparu. "I know I've got one here somewhere." He began looking through his backpack. Strangely, it was proving hard to find. Finally, after searching through every part of his backpack twice, he sighed in frustration and exclaimed, "Mata Nui! I forgot to bring one!"

Now Chomper was starting to panic. "Now what are we going to do!?" he asked.

Nuparu put his backpack back on. "We continue on through the tunnel. Let me lead. I'm an Onu-Matoran. We can see in the dark more easily than other Matoran." Nuparu began walking through the tunnel. Takua, Littlefoot, and Chomper had no choice but to follow him.

After about a minute of walking, the tunnel had noticeably gotten very dark. It was so dark that they didn't see that the tunnel split in two directions. Worse, they didn't see that they accidentally split up and went in different directions. Takua and Littlefoot went in the tunnel to the right, while Nuparu and Chomper went in the tunnel to the left.

Less than a minute after being unknowingly separated, Littlefoot asked, "Are you sure you know where we're going, Nuparu?" He didn't hear a reply. "Nuparu? Nuparu!?"

"Nuparu, where are you?" asked Takua. Again, no reply. "Uh-oh, I think we lost him."

"Chomper, are you still here?" asked Littlefoot. Again, no reply. "We lost Chomper, too!"

"Mata Nui! If only I hadn't lost my lightstone!" exclaimed Takua. He sighed and said, "It's so dark in here, I can't even see- oof!" He had run into one of the tunnel walls.

"Are you alright?" asked Littlefoot.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Littlefoot was having a very hard time moving around in such darkness. "Where are you?"

"Over here."

"Where?"

Takua knew it would be useless to tell him where his was. He tried to find Littlefoot, while Littlefoot tried to find him. Neither of them knew if they were going in the right direction or the wrong direction.

* * *

Less than a minute after being unknowingly separated, Chomper said, "It sure is very dark in here." He had expected Littlefoot to say something to comfort him, but he heard no reply. "Littlefoot, are you there?" Again, no reply. "Littlefoot? Takua? Nuparu?"

"I'm right beside you, Chomper," replied Nuparu. He looked back and noticed that Takua and Littlefoot were no longer there. "Uh-oh, something happened to Takua and Littlefoot. They're not here anymore."

"Do you think the tunnel ate them?" asked a very panicked Chomper.

"Don't be so ridiculous! A tunnel is not a living creature! If anything got them, it would have been something living inside this tunnel."

Chomper finally lost it. "I don't want to die down here!" He then ran off into the tunnel, screaming.

"Chomper, get back here! Chomper!" He sighed, realizing he had no choice. He would have to chase after Chomper. Fortunately, being an Onu-Matoran, he would be able to see Chomper running down the tunnel. As he chased after Chomper, Nuparu thought, _How does Ruby manage to put up with him?_


	26. The Dark Tunnels

**Chapter 25**

**The Dark Tunnels**

Littlefoot had lost his way in this extremely dark tunnel. He was still trying to find Takua, but the longer he looked, the less likely it seemed he would find him. He was now losing hope fast. Littlefoot felt scared.

_Littlefoot_...

Littlefoot immediately stopped. Did he just hear a dark voice call his name? "Takua?" he called. "Where are you?"

_Littlefoot_...

This time, he definitely heard that dark voice. But where was it coming from, and from who? "Takua?" he called, now trying to get out of here fast. "Takua!" Suddenly, he collided with one of the tunnel walls. He backed up a few steps as a pair of red eyes suddenly appeared on the tunnel wall.

"Shadows are everywhere," said that dark voice, apparently coming from those red eyes. "And where they are, so am I."

Now Littlefoot was terrified. "W-Who are you?" he asked.

"Have your Matoran friends not spoken of me? Surely, you would know Makuta when you saw him."

Littlefoot couldn't move. He was standing face-to-face with the master of shadows himself. At least, it seemed like it. "W-Why are you here? What do you want from me?"

"What do I want? I want you and your friends to give up on your search for the Energy Stones. Let _me_ have the stones, Littlefoot. Once I have them, I shall leave this universe. I'll even let your Matoran friends stay here with you."

Littlefoot wasn't sure about what to say. Makuta leaving the dinosaur universe in exchange for the Energy Stones seemed like a good idea. But why did Makuta want these stones? Surely, there must be a better purpose for these stones. "No! I won't let everyone down!"

"You'll fail them more if you refuse. If you continue the search, you and your dinosaur friends shall die. For the Energy Stones, your lives shall be spared. Don't be a fool."

"No, I can't... I can't..." Littlefoot couldn't manage to say anything else. The red eyes disappeared. Presumably, Makuta had gone elsewhere.

"Littlefoot!"

Littlefoot recognized that voice. It was Takua! "Takua, over here!" he called.

"Littlefoot? Where are you? Woah!" Takua had backed up far enough that he fell backwards over Littlefoot's back and hit the ground head-first. Takua groaned in pain and exclaimed, "Mata Nui! I'd give anything to have a lightstone by now!"

As Takua got up, Littlefoot noticed dozens of pairs of small eyes light up in the tunnel. "Takua? What are those?"

Takua also noticed the eyes. Considering how small those eyes were and how low to the ground they were, He could easily guess what they were. "Kofo-Jaga," he replied. "Small, fiery scorpions. They're hardly a threat on their own, but in a swarm, they can be very dangerous. Too bad I don't have my lightstone. They can easily be chased away by light."

"What do we do?"

"Run!" Takua and Littlefoot immediately turned away from the little eyes and ran down the tunnel as fast as they could. Dozens and dozens of Kofo-Jaga quickly gave chase.

* * *

Chomper continued running down the tunnel in panic. He finally stopped when he became too exhausted to continue. After he caught his breath, he suddenly realized that he was all alone in the middle of this dark tunnel. It was so dark that he couldn't even see his own hand. He never thought he could ever be as terrified as was right now.

Chomper knew his only hope of getting out of here alive would be to find Nuparu, who had been right beside him before he had panicked. "Nuparu!" he shouted. "Nuparu! Where are you?"

"I'm right behind you, rock-head!" Startled, Chomper quickly turned around to see the dark green eyes of an Onu-Matoran looking at him. This had to be Nuparu. "Now could you stop panicking so we can find the others?" asked Nuparu, who was clearly frustrated with him.

"O-Okay," replied Chomper nervously.

"Now just turn around and keep walking forward. I'll be right behind you the whole way. That way I can see where you are going and we won't end up going in different directions without realizing it."

Chomper did as he was told. It felt very assuring to hear Nuparu come up with a complex, but effective solution to his problem. He was already starting to regain confidence in finding the others.

Nuparu had to admit that this plan was working quite well. Why didn't he think of it earlier? If he had, Takua and Littlefoot would still be with them. There was no time to worry about this, however. He soon noticed a crack in the ground large enough for Chomper to fall through, and Chomper was heading right for it. "Watch where you're stepping," warned Nuparu.

Chomper didn't even have time to react. He suddenly fell through the crack. Fortunately, he hardly fell far at all. The ground he was now on was just barely low enough that he couldn't reach the crack he fell through.

As he looked through the crack, Nuparu was relieved to see Chomper was not only uninjured, but also close enough for him to be able to get him out of there with ease. "Are you alright?" asked Nuparu, just to be sure.

"I'm okay," replied Chomper. Suddenly, he noticed something unusual. He noticed a dark green light, and it wasn't coming from Nuparu's eyes. He turned around and saw a stone, but it wasn't just any stone. It was shaped like a lightstone, but it glowed a dark green light. It also stood upright on the ground, possibly indicating that it was intentionally placed here by someone. Was this the Energy Stone? "Hey, Nuparu, I think I found the Energy Stone," said Chomper.

"Really? Let me see it."

Chomper walked up to the stone and grabbed it with both of his arms. He then tried to pull the stone out of its position. At first, it didn't seem to budge at all. Suddenly, the stone came out of its place. He nearly lost his balance as he was thrown backwards from the sudden release of the stone. He stared at it for a few seconds in awe and wonder at such a strange object. Remembering that Nuparu wanted to see the stone, Chomper walked back to the crack he had fallen through.

Nuparu then grabbed Chomper and pulled him up through the crack and back into the tunnel. Chomper then let him take a look at the stone. Nuparu studied it for a minute. Finally, Nuparu said, "I don't know if it's my imagination, but I think I can feel the elemental energy from within this stone. If anything is the Energy Stone of Earth, this would definitely be it. Good work, Chomper!"

Chomper felt proud of himself. Sure, it was an accident, but he had actually found the first of the Energy Stones. If only his friends were here to see this.

Nuparu then put the Energy Stone in his backpack and said, "Come on. As soon we find the others, we can get out of these tunnels and get back home." The two of them continued on into the tunnel, with great hope that they would soon find the others.

* * *

Taipu was still busy clearing away the cave-in. He had made good progress, but it was still taking a long time.

Cera had now become very bored and frustrated. She sighed and asked, "How many more rocks do you have to move?"

"I don't know, but please try to be patient," replied Taipu. "I did say I was a slow digger, after all." He then tossed aside another large rock.

Although Cera had already lost a lot of patience, Petrie was quickly losing patience as well. Petrie sighed and complained, "Us never gonna leave dark-tunnel!"

Suddenly, the roar of a Fast-Biter was heard throughout the tunnel. "Did you hear that?" asked Taipu.

"Of course we did!" replied Cera, still frustrated. Suddenly, they saw two Fast-Biters run towards them. It wasn't too dark in this tunnel to see who they were: Screech and Thud.

Last time, Takua had been the one to save the group from these Fast-Biters. This time, Taipu wanted to be the hero like Takua. He quickly grabbed the largest rock he could find, which was easily twice his size, and managed to raise it over his head. He then shouted, "Back off, Fast-Biters, or I'll crush you!"

The Fast-Biters would have considered themselves fools to not see this as a threat. Clearly, this creature possessed great strength, and it would obviously be a bad idea to try to fight someone who was holding a massive rock over their head.

Taipu then tossed the rock towards the Fast-Biters. It barely missed, shattering into a dozen pieces as it hit the ground. Such an impact was enough to frighten the Fast-Biters, causing them to turn around and run back out of the tunnel. Taipu decided to pick up the biggest piece of the rock and chase after them.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Cera.

"Trying to be a hero like Takua," replied Taipu. It wasn't long until he reached the end of the tunnel, where he came face-to-face with Redclaw. Taipu quickly came to a stop. The Sharptooth stared down at him angrily. About a second later, Taipu dropped the rock and screamed in terror for a few seconds. He then ran back into the tunnel as quickly as he could.

About halfway into the tunnel, Taipu, being as clumsy as he was, tripped over himself and tumbled uncontrollably down the tunnel. He finally came to a stop right in front of Cera. He looked up at her and immediately realized that he had impressed her in a way he would have never intended.

"That was really impressive Taipu," said Cera in a clearly sarcastic tone. "In fact, I think I should tell everyone in the Great Valley about what you just did out there."

Not wanting to hear more of such humiliation, Taipu stood up and said, "I... I guess I should get back to digging." He then walked up to the cave-in and resumed tossing rocks aside.

* * *

Onepu, Ruby, Ducky, and Spike were still walking down the tunnel they were in. It was quite dark in this tunnel, so it felt very comforting that they had a lightstone. They had been walking for many minutes now, and they had found nothing so far.

Finally, they arrived at a small cavern. Onepu took a look around the cavern. After a minute, he said, "It's a dead end. I don't see any other tunnels out of this cavern."

This disappointed them greatly. "What do we do now?" asked Ducky.

Ruby then looked up and noticed a small hole in one of the cavern walls. It was so small that only someone as small as Ducky would be able to fit through it. However, there was sunlight coming through that hole, and that could only mean one thing: a way out of these tunnels. She pointed at the hole and said, "I think I see a way out of here that you probably didn't see before."

Everyone else looked up and noticed the hole as well. "That could definitely be a way out of these tunnels," stated Onepu. "I suggest we take a look and see where it goes."

Since the hole was so high up from the ground, they would all have to stand on top of another. Onepu guided everyone into proper positions. Puku stood directly beneath the hole. Spike then climbed onto her back, and Onepu climbed onto his back. Ruby then carried Ducky and climbed onto Onepu's shoulders. Ruby held Ducky up to the hole, where she was able to see what was outside.

Once everyone was in position, Onepu said, "Tell us what you see, Ducky."

Ducky took a look at what was on the other side of the hole. Apparently, this side of the cavern was also the side of a cliff on the other side. The other side of the hole was indeed above the ground. Outside, she saw all kinds of terrain in a small area; jungle, desert, even ice. This area could only be one familiar place. "It is the Great Valley! It is, it is!" she exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" asked Onepu.

"Oh yes I am! Yes, yes, yes!"

Ducky's cheerful mood was a clear indication that she really was serious. Everyone then carefully got back onto the ground. "Well, at least now we've found an easier way back home," stated Onepu.

"How can that be a way home?" asked Ruby. "Most of us are too big to fit through that hole."

"If we can't use that hole, then we'll just make another one. Nuparu said he had some digging equipment with him, so as soon as we find the others, we can come back here and use that equipment to dig a hole in the wall."

"Won't that allow Sharpteeth to get into the valley?"

"We'll just have to be careful to not make the hole too big." Onepu then got back onto Puku's back and said, "Come on. Let's get back to the cave-in. I'm sure Taipu will have finished clearing away the rocks by the time we get back."

"But what about the Energy Stone?" asked Ducky

"We are going to come back in this direction. We could just look for it in this area when we do, if the others have not found it yet."

"That plan sounds like a good plan, Onepu," commented Ruby.

They then headed back into the tunnel they had recently come from, hoping that they would soon rejoin the others they had been separated from.


	27. An Explosive Return

**Chapter 26**

**An Explosive Return**

Nuparu and Chomper were still walking down the same dark tunnel. As soon as they could find Takua and Littlefoot, they could head back to the cave-in and, hopefully, find the others waiting for them there. It was now taking a long time to find them.

Suddenly, Chomper picked up the scent of two creatures. He sniffed the air to determine whose scents they were. It was a Longneck and a Matoran. Takua and Littlefoot must have passed by here!

Nuparu noticed Chomper sniffing the air, so he asked, "What is it, Chomper?"

"Takua and Littlefoot have been here," replied Chomper. "Follow me." He then ran forward into the tunnel. Nuparu followed. Surprisingly for Nuparu, Chomper always seemed to turn in the exact direction the tunnel turned, despite the fact that it was obviously too dark for Chomper to see where he was going. He was definitely on their trail.

After about a minute of tracking, Nuparu suddenly noticed something up ahead in the tunnel. "Wait!" he shouted.

Chomper immediately stopped as soon as Nuparu did. "What is it?" asked Chomper.

Nuparu looked more carefully at the shape up ahead. He soon noticed it was two shapes. Then he recognized those shapes. It was Takua and Littlefoot, but something wasn't right. "I see them up ahead, but... why are they running this way?"

Takua and Littlefoot were still running from the large swarm of Kofo-Jaga. Takua looked ahead and saw Nuparu in this tunnel. He assumed Chomper was with him as well. They weren't moving and he had to warn them of the danger they were running from. "Run! Kofo-Jaga!" he shouted.

Less than a second after they heard this, Nuparu and Chomper saw the dozens of scorpions quickly chasing Takua and Littlefoot. Nuparu knew how dangerous Kofo-Jaga were, but Chomper didn't. However, the fear everyone else showed was enough to convince him to show the same amount of fear. Soon, all four of them were running from the swarm of Kofo-Jaga.

They ran down the tunnel, running in a new direction without realizing it. This tunnel eventually led to a dead end. Nuparu was the first and only one to notice this. "Dead end!" he shouted.

The others didn't react quickly enough. They collided with the end of the tunnel and fell to the ground from the impact. Then to everyone's surprise, the end of the tunnel seemed to come down on them like a wall falling over. All four of them were buried in earth and rock. As the wall collapsed, a large hole that revealed the surface opened up, letting in a lot of sunlight. The sunlight was too much for the Kofo-Jaga, so they turned around and fled.

Soon after the Kofo-Jaga fled, Nuparu emerged from beneath the rubble, followed by Littlefoot. "Ow, my head," groaned Chomper as he also emerged.

Takua noticed the huge amount of sunlight as he emerged. "Well, at least we got rid of the Kofo-Jaga," he said. He then realized that this was a possible path out of these tunnels. "Hey, look! We just found another way out of here." He headed for the exit. "Come on, let's- woah!" Takua suddenly fell out of sight. The others rushed over to see him hanging on to the floor of the cave. "Bad idea! Bad idea!" He was on the side of a tall cliff, and it was a long way to the ground below.

Thinking fast, Nuparu pulled a small pickax out of his backpack. Holding onto the end of the handle, he held the head of it on the ground right in front of Takua's hands. "Grab on!" he said. Takua managed to grab onto the head of the pickax. Nuparu then pulled him up to safety.

After thanking Nuparu, Takua said, "Well, I guess we can't go this way."

"At least now we are together again," stated Chomper.

"But what are we going to do now?" asked Littlefoot.

"We're going to go back to the cave-in," said Nuparu. "If the others haven't dug through yet, then I guess we'll have to dig through, ourselves."

"What about the Energy Stone?" asked Takua.

"Don't worry, we already have it." Nuparu pulled the Energy Stone out of his backpack for everyone to see. Takua and Littlefoot were amazed to see such an item. Nuparu then suggested that Takua should hold onto it.

Takua agreed and put the Energy Stone in his backpack. The four of them then headed down the tunnel, hoping that they would soon be out of these tunnels.

* * *

Taipu was still clearing away the cave-in. Despite the vast amount of progress he made, it was now seeming that he would never reach the other side. Taipu was close to giving up when some of the rocks shifted and collapsed. Had he finally broken through?

Meanwhile, Onepu, Ruby, Ducky, and Spike had just arrived at the cave-in. To their disappointment, it was still there. They were about to think about what to do next when, suddenly, some of the rocks of the cave-in collapsed. A hole had formed in the cave-in, and someone familiar was standing in front of it.

"Taipu?" asked Onepu.

"Onepu!" exclaimed Taipu. "Thank the Great Spirit you're alright!"

Cera and Petrie also emerged through the hole to see Ruby, Ducky, and Spike were okay as well. Everyone was glad to see each other.

However, they couldn't help but notice that four of them were still missing: Takua, Littlefoot, Chomper, and Nuparu. Onepu reminded everyone that the tunnel was split in two directions, so perhaps they were in that other tunnel.

Everyone agreed that they had to clear away the rest of the cave-in. This time, everyone was pitching in, although Taipu still had to move the big rocks aside. As they dug, everyone hoped that they would not be too late.

* * *

Takua, Nuparu, Littlefoot, and Chomper arrived at the cave-in to see that it was still there, to their disappointment. "I guess this means we'll have to dig," said Nuparu. He took two pickaxes out of his backpack and gave one to Takua. They both began to dig through the rock. Takua was very reluctant to dig, but knew he had no choice. Chomper couldn't help because he was too small, and Littlefoot couldn't help because he didn't have hands.

About a few minutes later, Takua was already becoming exhausted. He was on the verge of giving up when, suddenly, some of the rocks shifted and collapsed. A large hole opened up in the cave-in, revealing some familiar faces on the other side. "Guys, look! We found the others!" exclaimed Takua.

The four of them quickly moved through the hole to find everyone else alive and well. Both groups were excited to see each other again. Everyone was relieved to hear that no one was even slightly injured.

"Now that we're all together again, we can continue our search for the Energy Stone," stated Onepu.

"No need to worry about that, Onepu," said Takua. "We already found it." He took the Energy Stone out of his backpack and showed it to everyone. Everyone was amazed to see such an item. Takua then put the stone back in his backpack and said, "Now all we have to do is get back home."

Takua was about to go down the tunnel they had all originally taken when Onepu stepped in front of him and said, "We've found a quicker way back home. It's down the tunnel my group was trapped in. All we have to do is dig a small hole in a cave wall and we're home."

"Great, more digging," grumbled Takua. "My arms are tired already."

Only a few seconds after entering the tunnel, the ground began to shake a little. Onepu quickly looked up and saw the ceiling was going to collapse again. "Run!" he shouted. Unlike last time, everyone ran in the same direction. The ceiling caved-in, trapping everyone in this tunnel. Now their only option was to continue on down this tunnel and hope that it would lead them home.

As they all walked down the tunnel, each group talked about what had happened in the tunnel they were each trapped in. Littlefoot chose not to tell anyone about his encounter with Makuta, thinking that telling his friends about something so frightening would be unnecessary.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the small cavern. Onepu pointed at the correct cavern wall and said, "Ducky confirmed that the Great Valley is right on the other side of this rock. All we need to do is dig a hole through it. What kind of digging equipment do you have, Nuparu?"

"I've got something even better," replied Nuparu. He took out of his backpack a long cylinder-shaped object. The gang didn't know what this was, but Onepu was clearly shocked to see such an item.

"Explosives!?" exclaimed Onepu. "You brought explosives with you!?"

Nuparu just shrugged and replied, "You never know when they might be useful."

"Nuparu, the objective here is to dig a hole in the wall, not blow ourselves up!"

"Don't worry, I've thought of everything that could go wrong and came up with solutions to all of those problems. We'll take shelter behind those large rocks over there when the blast occurs. I didn't bring much with me, so even if the blast was somehow directed right at us, those rocks should be more than enough to protect us. I'm an engineer, so I'll be able to determine precisely where to place each of the explosives to create the most effective blast. And, best of all, we don't even have to worry about how big of a hole we make. The other end of the tunnel is blocked off, so even if we create a hole big enough to let any Sharptooth in, they wouldn't even be able to get here in the first place."

"Wow, that is a great plan you came up with. You come up with great plans," commented Ruby.

"Yeah, even I'm impressed by how much thought you put into it," agreed Cera.

"I'm an engineer. It's what I do," said Nuparu.

About a few minutes later, everyone but Nuparu was sitting behind the rocks, while Nuparu was setting up the fuse. As soon as he finished, he said, "Alright, as soon as I light this fuse, I want all of you keep every part of your body behind those rocks. I also recommend that you try to cover your ears. The blast will be very loud, considering the fact that we're underground."

Nuparu then left his backpack behind one of the rocks and took an item out of it that would allow him to ignite the fuse. He grabbed the end of the fuse and used the item to ignite it. As soon as the fuse was lit, he rushed back to the rocks and shouted, "Take cover!" Everyone did what Nuparu told them to do and he did likewise.

The fuse continued to burn until the flame reached the explosives, detonating them. A massive explosion shook the cavern and everywhere else nearby. A huge cloud of dust was quickly raised, filling the entire cavern. As everyone coughed from all the dust, they heard the sound of many rocks falling. The explosives seemed to have worked.

Once the dust began to clear, everyone emerged from behind the rocks. Soon, enough dust cleared away to reveal that nearly the entire cavern wall had been blasted away, letting in a lot of sunlight. Everyone approached the giant hole to see most of the Great Valley in front of them.

"I'm still not sure if this was a good idea, but at least we saved some time," said Onepu.

"I may not be someone who likes explosions, but at least it's better than digging," commented Takua.

"Look! All of the rubble from the blast has created a pile of rocks we can use to climb down!" exclaimed Taipu. Everyone followed him down the pile of rocks and pebbles.

"You'll probably need to do some explaining, Nuparu," said Cera. "I think everyone in the valley heard that explosion."

"I knew you would say something like that," said Nuparu. "I guess I'll just stay here and explain myself to everyone when they come here."

"In the meantime, Taipu and I shall return to Onu-Koro and confirm that we have found the Energy Stone of Earth," said Onepu.

Before they left, Takua wanted to give back the throwing disk Onepu had given him, but Onepu said that he could keep it. Takua then took the Energy Stone out of his backpack and said, "Here, take the Energy Stone. Give it to Turaga Whenua because I know he'll keep it safe." He gave the Energy Stone to Onepu. Onepu accepted it and urged Puku to take him back to Onu-Koro as quickly as possible. Taipu followed on foot as quickly as he could.

Everyone else chose to stay with Nuparu. Most of the dinosaurs in the Great Valley soon arrived, wondering what had caused such a loud explosion. Nuparu explained to them about the situation that made him use the explosives. Once he was finished, he headed back to Onu-Koro.

Takua and his friends were now the only ones there. They had wanted to tell everyone about how they had found the Energy Stone, but it was getting late so they had to head back home. However, Cera couldn't resist telling her father about Taipu's humiliation she had seen.

As each of them slept that night, they wondered what the next Energy Stone would be, and where they would have to find it.


	28. The Scorpion Nest

**Chapter 27**

**The Scorpion Nest**

Despite what their parents told them, the gang still wanted to search for the rest of the Energy Stones. Reluctantly, the adults had little choice but to agree that this was the only acceptable option. All of the guards were always too busy fighting off Rahi or other dangers, so they didn't have time to do the searching themselves. Everyone wanted Makuta gone as soon as possible, so if these Energy Stones would allow it, searching for them would be necessary.

By mid morning, the gang had gathered near the tablet at Kini-Nui again. It was time to find the next Energy Stone, whichever element it would be. "I wonder which Energy Stone we will have to find next," said Littlefoot.

"The only way we will know is if another clue is revealed on this tablet," replied Takua.

"But how will the clue be revealed?" asked Ducky.

"Let's try to remember how the last clue was revealed so we can reveal the next clue," replied Ruby. "Let's see, Chomper wanted to see the tablet, but he was too small to see it. So I held him up so he could see it. But when he touched the tablet, the clue somehow just appeared."

As Ruby finished saying this, everyone realized how the next clue could be revealed. "I wonder if I can do that again," said Chomper. Takua then picked him up and held him in front of the tablet. He touched the tablet, but noting happened.

As he put Chomper back on the ground, Takua said, "I don't understand it. It worked last time." Nobody knew what to do next.

Spike was just as disappointed as everyone else. Then for a reason even he couldn't figure out, he got an idea that maybe he should touch the tablet instead of Chomper. He approached the tablet and reached up to it with his right front foot. As soon as he touched it, a single row of letters appeared just below the first clue. The second clue had just been revealed.

"I guess someone else needed to touch the tablet instead of me," commented Chomper.

Takua studied the new writing on the tablet. The symbol at the left was an octagon with four lines inside, two vertical and two horizontal with each of those sets parallel and crossing the other. This was the symbol for the element of stone. He read the clue aloud by saying, "To find the Energy Stone of Stone, we must 'seek within the great nest of the giant scorpions'."

"Giant scorpions?" asked Cera, a little shocked. "I don't like the sound of that."

"What are scorpions?" asked Ducky.

"I don't know, but based on things I've heard from Matoran, I think I have seen some before, but they were only very small and not very big," replied Ruby.

"What about Nui-Jaga?" asked Littlefoot, remembering those descriptions as well.

"I think you're right, Littlefoot," replied Takua. "Nui-Jaga are huge scorpions. Their tails are twice as long as I am tall. It looks like the next Energy Stone is hidden in a nest of Nui-Jaga."

"But which Nui-Jaga nest?" asked Cera. "As far we know, there could be dozens of them."

"The clue said the great nest, so maybe the Energy Stone is in the biggest Nui-Jaga nest," replied Littlefoot.

"Great, more deadly danger," grumbled Petrie.

"But where is that Nui-Jaga nest?" asked Chomper.

"I don't know," replied Takua. "But I think we should have someone come with us in case if we need their help. We'll likely find the Nui-Jaga nest in a desert region, so I suggest we bring a Po-Matoran with us, and I know exactly who we should ask."

* * *

"You want me to help you find an Energy Stone?" asked Huki.

"That's right," replied Takua. "You're more physically fit than any of us, and we'll likely find the Energy Stone in an environment that Po-Matoran, like yourself, are best suited for. So will you join us on our search?"

Huki thought about it for a moment. "I can see why you would like me to come with you, but I'm afraid I can't do that today."

"Why not?" asked Littlefoot.

"There's a Koli match today and I can't afford to miss it, or I'll lose my chance at winning the Koli championship this season."

"That's it!?" exclaimed Cera. "You won't help us just because you don't want to miss a stupid game of Koli!?"

Huki stared at her angrily. "Koli may not mean much to you, but here in Po-Koro, it is highly valued above many things."

Not wanting to hear an argument, Littlefoot decided to provide a solution. "You could ask Turaga Onewa to have the game another day," he suggested.

Huki didn't need more than a second to think about the suggestion. "That's actually a good idea. I could ask Turaga Onewa to postpone today's Koli match. I'll go ask him right now."

"We'll come with you," said Takua. "I have a feeling he might be able to point us in the right direction to search for the Energy Stone." Everyone followed Huki to Onewa's hut.

Later, while the gang and Huki were speaking with Onewa, Hafu was working on yet another stone carving not too far away. He was taking great pride in his work, making sure that every detail was perfect.

A few minutes later, he noticed Takua and his dinosaur friends walk out of Onewa's hut, along with Huki. Curious, Hafu stopped his work and got Huki's attention by saying, "Hey, Huki! Where are you going? I thought there was a Koli match today."

Everyone quickly noticed Hafu. "There was, but I asked Turaga Onewa to postpone it," replied Huki. "These guys need my help to find another Energy Stone."

Not wanting to miss out on a chance at fame and glory, Hafu decided that he should come along with them. He could always finish his carving later. "If you need help to find an Energy Stone, then take me with you," he stated, holding his small pickax over his shoulder. "My skills in stone craft are the best out of all Matoran, and I can prove the benefits of having such skills."

The others weren't sure about this. They didn't know how a skill at cutting rocks would be a benefit to them in such a dangerous area, but perhaps there was something about it that they didn't know about. Although Cera especially didn't want someone like him coming with them, they decided to let him come.

"Alright, you can come with us, Hafu," said Huki. They all then headed to the gate out of Po-Koro to begin their search for the next Energy Stone.

Fortunately for them, Onewa had heard about the location of a Nui-Jaga nest outside of the Great Valley. He had told them that it was indeed a huge nest, and they would find it to the northeast. Now all they had to do was find that nest, knowing the Energy Stone would be nearby.

* * *

The trip to the supposed location of the Nui-Jaga nest was uneventful. There was nothing but barren terrain with a few occasional rock formations. Only Hafu was willing to talk about anything at all, and he only talked about either stone carving or himself. Because of this, Cera actually hoped to find the Nui-Jaga nest as soon as possible.

Now it was early in the afternoon. Fortunately, Takua had remembered to bring food and water for his friends to have when they needed it. However, he only had enough room in his backpack for a day's worth of such supplies, so they would have to return home by the end of this day.

Huki was at the front of the group, so he was the first one to notice that they had found the large Nui-Jaga nest when they arrived. It resembled a short canyon with two levels of cave entrances on each side. Everyone assumed that all of the Nui-Jaga were inside the caves.

"Well, we found the Nui-Jaga nest. Now what?" asked Littlefoot.

"The Energy Stone is hidden somewhere here. We just have to find it," replied Takua.

"I recommend we search as quietly as possible," stated Huki. "For all we know, there could be a Nui-Jaga inside each of those caves." Not wanting to draw the attention of such dangerous creatures, everyone agreed.

Everyone spread out and began searching. They looked behind and beneath every rock in the area. No one dared to look inside any of the caves, fearing they would find, and possibly awaken, a dangerous Nui-Jaga.

After a few minutes of searching, no one had found anything yet. Cera was about to check behind another rock when, suddenly, she stepped on a sharp rock without seeing it there. She yelled out in pain as she quickly pulled her foot away from the rock, her shout echoing throughout the area.

Everyone stopped right where they stood as they heard that shout. Soon, they could hear the noise of dozens of moving legs from within the caves. They then saw Nui-Jaga emerge from within the darkness of the caves. There were at least a dozen of them, stingers at the ready. It was also obvious that they wore infected masks.

Everyone slowly backed up until they were all in one location. Many of them were afraid that this would happen. Before the Nui-Jaga made their first move, Takua thought, _This won't be good._


	29. The Koli Champion

**Chapter 28**

**The Koli Champion**

The Nui-Jaga were now closing in on the group. It seemed like there would be no way of getting out of there alive. "What are we going to do?" asked Chomper, nervously.

Fortunately, due to all of his travels across Mata Nui, Takua had learned many things about most kinds of Rahi, including how they hunted. He knew how Nui-Jaga hunted, so he knew what had to be done to avoid getting killed. "Spread out and get into an open area," he demanded. "Nui-Jaga hunt by cornering their prey, so we have to move now!"

Knowing that their chances of escaping were quickly falling, they all agreed that it was their only option. Taking Littlefoot's suggestion, Petrie began bravely flying in front of the Nui-Jaga in hopes of distracting them. "Me quick-dodge flyer! You no catch me!" he taunted. One of the Nui-Jaga then swung it's stinger at him, barely missing.

Taking advantage of the distraction, everyone ran out of the nest as quickly as they could. The Nui-Jaga quickly noticed this and began pursuing them. The group had run towards the only opening they saw and it led into a short canyon. There was no open ground in sight, so they would have to run a long way.

There were a lot of rocks on the canyon floor. This frequently caused someone to trip on one and fall. When Cera tripped on a rock, a Nui-Jaga got dangerously close to her. She managed to get out of the way before it's stinger could hit her. The stinger hit the ground with such a force that it caused the rocky ground to shatter and create a small hole.

When Takua tripped on a rock, he saw another Nui-Jaga, and he knew he wouldn't be able to get away in time. Before it could bring down its stinger, a rock the size of a Koli ball slammed into its head, shattering upon impact. Takua looked back and saw Huki standing on top of a massive rock.

"Why don't you pick on somebody with more skill?" taunted Huki to the Nui-Jaga. He then kicked another rock towards the Nui-Jaga, hitting it in the head again. "You and the others get out of here! I'll hold off these guys."

Takua agreed, and ran off to rejoin the others. After a few seconds, they had gotten so far ahead of the Nui-Jaga that they could now afford to stop to catch their breaths. "Is everyone alright?" asked Takua.

"I think so," replied Littlefoot.

"Wait! One of us is missing!" exclaimed Ducky. "Where is Spike?"

Meanwhile, Huki was busy keeping the Nui-Jaga occupied. He was still kicking large rocks at them at a rapid rate. Unfortunately, they were now simply shattering those rocks with their stingers.

Now, they were proving to be overwhelming. One Nui-Jaga swung its stinger at Huki, who was still standing atop the massive rock. He quickly jumped off, landing behind the rock as the part of it where he had stood was shattered by the powerful stinger.

As Huki got up, he noticed Spike was standing right next to him. However, Spike had apparently buried his head into the ground. Huki just wouldn't allow this. "Spike! This is no time to be a coward! You're not going to do anything useful by burying your head in the ground!" exclaimed Huki.

Spike, however, was not cowering in fear. He had found something in a hole in the ground just large enough for him to fit his head through, and now he was struggling to get it out. About a second after Huki had finished speaking, Spike had managed to yank his head out of the ground. In his mouth was a rock that resembled a lightstone, but glowed a dull orange light. This had to be the Energy Stone of Stone.

Huki then took the Energy Stone from Spike and looked at it for a second. He could feel the elemental energy from within the stone. This was indeed an Energy Stone. "On the other hand, maybe you will," commented Huki.

Suddenly, Huki saw Spike's facial expression turn to one of shock and fear. Huki turned around to see a Nui-Jaga right behind him, stinger at the ready. "Oh, right, forgot about that. Time to run!" Huki and Spike then ran down the canyon with the swarm of Nui-Jaga following close behind.

After running for about a minute, Huki quickly jumped to the side to hide behind another massive rock. He grabbed Spike by the tail and pulled him aside as well. The Nui-Jaga ran right past them. Rahi like Nui-Jaga were dangerous, but not smart.

Now that the danger had passed for now, they had to think of a way to safely get to the others without losing the Energy Stone they just got. Spike gestured towards one of the large rocks nearby and made a kicking motion with his right front leg. This was his way of telling Huki to do what he was doing before.

"Sorry Spike, but that won't work," replied Huki. "That was only a temporary solution. I can't fight them all off. We need a new strategy." The two of them then thought about what they should do.

Suddenly, they head a roar from the end of the canyon they had run from. Huki had never heard it before, but he could guess what it was based on descriptions he had heard about. "Let me guess, Fast-Biters?" he asked.

Spike nervously nodded, knowing that things were now going from bad to worse.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Huki in a surprisingly cheerful tone. "Go find the others and get them to safety. I have a plan." Huki then ran off towards where he had heard the Fast-Biters. Spike was very confused by this, but he didn't want to be left alone so he had no choice but to follow the plan, whatever it was.

Huki ran for less than half a minute when he saw a pack of Fast-Biters at the end of the canyon, but they didn't notice him. He had to get their attention in order for the plan to work. He picked up a few pebbles from the ground and threw one at one of the Fast-Biters, hitting him in the head. The Fast-Biter turned towards him. "Hey! Fast-Biters! Over here!" taunted Huki. Huki threw more pebbles at them, provoking all of them to chase him. Once he thew the last of the pebbles in his hand, the Fast-Biters rushed towards him. Now all he had to was run fast enough to not get caught, but not go so fast that they would lose him.

Being more physically fit than most Matoran, Huki was easily able to outrun the Fast-Biters. He still held the Energy Stone in his hand, and he would need it for the next part of his plan. As he turned around a corner, he saw the whole group, including Spike, not far ahead of him. He also saw the swarm of Nui-Jaga even further up ahead, indicating that the group had avoided them the way he and Spike had.

For his plan to work, Huki needed to get the group out of the way without drawing the attention of the Fast-Biters. "Don't run anywhere! Move over! Coming through!" shouted Huki as he ran past them.

Everyone was confused as Huki ran by them like that. They then looked in the direction he was running from and saw the pack of Fast-Biters. Before anyone could panic, Hafu quickly reminded everyone what Huki had wanted them to do. Having no time to argue, everyone quickly rushed to either side of the canyon. The Fast-Biters ran right past them and didn't even seem to notice them. They got back together in the middle of the canyon, confused even more by what just happened.

"Huki must have made them really mad," commented Cera.

Huki looked back. The Fast-Biters had successfully run past the others, and were far enough behind that the next part of the plan would work. He soon reached the Nui-Jaga, who quickly noticed him. He held up the Energy Stone and exclaimed, "Hey, Makuta's minions! Look what I've got! An Energy Stone!" Since they wore infected masks, the Nui-Jaga followed Makuta's commands and immediately began to try to get the Energy Stone from Huki.

"That's it, come and get it! Come and get it!" Huki then looked back to see the others, although far away, were watching him. This was all he needed to make the final part of the plan work. "Here it is, and there it goes!" He then tossed the Energy Stone high into the air towards the others. The Nui-Jaga now rushed to follow it.

Everyone saw the Energy Stone flying towards them, even though only Spike knew what it was. Takua saw it coming towards him, so he reached up and caught it. When he looked at it, he realized that he was actually holding an Energy Stone. He quickly decided to put it in his backpack before anyone else besides his friends saw it.

Meanwhile, Huki knew that all he had left to do was to get out of the way of the Fast-Biters and the Nui-Jaga. He rushed towards one of the short canyon walls and quickly began climbing. By the time he was halfway up, he looked back just in time to see the two groups of hunters collide with each other. Enraged, the two groups began fighting each other. The Nui-Jaga were clearly winning. "That's gotta hurt," was all he could manage to say from seeing the inevitable destruction of the Fast-Biter pack.

Huki then resumed climbing and soon reached the top. He then gestured for the others to follow him to the top of the short canyon wall. They all agreed, considering that they were at a part that was more easily climbable.

A few minutes later, Huki rejoined the others near where they were. "How do you like that for a strategy!?" exclaimed Huki. "I saved us from the Nui-Jaga, prevented a pack of Fast-Biters from attacking us, found the Energy Stone, kept it safe, and I did it all without suffering any injuries."

"Show off," grumbled Hafu.

As Hafu said that, Spike stared angrily at Huki, trying to remind him that he was the one who had actually found the Energy Stone. Apparently, Huki didn't see this.

"I'll admit that the plan you came up with was a good plan," said Ruby. "But there are other ways to stop a pack of Fast-Biters besides simply destroying them."

"I agree with Ruby," said Takua. "Do us all a favor, Huki. The next time you come up with such a plan, please consider some less destructive alternatives."

"Will do, Takua," replied Huki.

Hafu then loudly cleared his throat and said, "Can we get going now? The sooner I get back to Po-Koro, the sooner I can resume working on my stone carving."

"Alright, alright! Stop complaining!" exclaimed Cera.

The group then began their journey back to the Great Valley. If everything went as expected, the return trip would also be uneventful.


	30. Cutting Rocks

**Chapter 29**

**Cutting Rocks**

The group wasn't far from the path they had taken to reach the Nui-Jaga nest, so most of the journey back home would be through the same rocky and mountainous terrain.

Since no one was talking, Hafu decided to teach some things about stone carving to any of the young dinosaurs that were willing to listen. "First of all, every stone carving will start as just a large rock. Usually, I find myself starting with a massive block. The first thing you should do is to break off large chunks of the rock so that it will roughly resemble what you are going to carve. Remember to leave a relatively thick layer over the shape that you are going to carve, otherwise you might end up creating something too thin for your liking. Once the stone has been properly shaped, you may then begin the actual carving. Remember, steady hands and a perfect aim create the best results. Also, I recommend you start from the top and work your way down, otherwise the bottom could become too weak to support the extra stone above it and potentially cause the whole thing to topple over."

While most of them listened to this lesson, Cera was just annoyed by the way Hafu spoke. She turned to Huki and asked, "Is he always this annoying?"

"It depends," replied Huki. "When he's not talking about stone carving, he's talking about himself, and when he talks about himself, he really brags. At least he keeps his mouth shut when he's actually carving."

Suddenly, they all heard a loud roar nearby. "I'm guessing that's a Sharptooth instead of a Fast-Biter," said Huki. They then turned around and saw Redclaw, Screech, and Thud approaching them from behind. "Make that two Fast-Biters and a Sharptooth."

"Not those guys again," grumbled Takua.

Hafu quickly looked around for an escape route. He soon saw a tall and narrow mountain ridge nearby that was clearly unclimbable. At the bottom of the ridge was a hole that was just large enough for each of them to fit through. Best of all, he knew how he could quickly bring down the opening so the Sharpteeth wouldn't follow them through it.

"Everyone through there!" shouted Hafu, pointing his small pickax at the hole in the ridge. "I'll be able to stop them." Having no other plans, everyone agreed and ran towards the hole. The Sharpteeth quickly began chasing them.

As soon as they reached the hole, everyone quickly went through it one at a time to reach the safety of the other side of the ridge. Only Hafu did not go through the hole. He stayed at the entrance so he could observe how the rock around the hole was positioned. He knew he didn't have much time, as the Sharpteeth were quickly approaching.

After a few seconds, Hafu knew exactly what to do. Using his small pickax, he broke off specific pieces from the rock that made up the vertical sides of the hole. Large cracks began forming in the rock. He stepped inside the hole, jumped up, and broke off a large piece of rock from the top. The cracks began to spread at a rapid rate, and the ground started to shake a little. He knew he had very little time to get out of there, so he rushed to the other side, where the others were waiting. Shortly after coming out the other side, he turned around and walked backwards so that he could see the result as he rejoined the others. Large rocks fell and blocked up the hole, raising a lot of dust. As the dust cleared, everyone could hear a roar of frustration from Redclaw on the other side of the ridge.

Hafu stopped walking backwards when he reached the others. He could easily see how surprised most of them were at what had just happened. He gestured towards the blocked-off passage and proudly said, "And there you have it: proof of the benefits of studying stone for centuries!"

"How did you do that?" asked Littlefoot, who was very amazed at how such a thing could be done.

"Every rock has a weak point. If you hit a rock with a small enough force, the rock will break only at the weak point and nowhere else. Since the hole was shaped roughly like an archway, the weak point was the topmost part of the entrance: the keystone area. But taking out only that one piece of rock wouldn't allow quick enough results. By taking out some of the strong points along the vertical edges, I created large cracks in the rock outside the hole, and if a rock cracks it can crumble. As soon as I took out the weak point, the cracks quickly spread, causing the whole thing to crumble and collapse, leaving the Sharpteeth trapped on the other side."

"Wow, that was a great plan, Hafu," commented Chomper.

"I'll admit that it was impressive, but that's only because it saved us from Redclaw," said Cera.

"Shall we continue our trip home?" suggested Hafu. Everyone agreed and they all continued on their way back to the Great Valley.

* * *

By the time they reached one of the passages that led into the valley, it was already late in the afternoon. When they arrived at the entrance to the passage, they saw a Po-Matoran stone carver standing nearby. As soon as he noticed Hafu, he said, "About time you returned, Hafu. You left this morning before I could tell you the good news."

"Good news?" asked Hafu. "What would that be?"

"We've finally got permission from the dinosaurs of the Great Valley to carve Saurus Rock."

"Alright! What are we waiting for? Take me there so we can set things up for tomorrow while we still have time today."

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" asked Takua.

"Carving Saurus Rock was my idea," replied Hafu. "I've been wanting to do it ever since I heard of the existence of that rock. The reason why I want to do it is that the dinosaurs of the Great Valley were kind enough to let us live here, and one way of showing thanks to them would be to give them a great statue that would be proudly looked upon for hundreds of generations of dinosaurs."

"What exactly do you mean by 'carving Saurus Rock'?" asked Ruby.

"What I and most of the other Po-Matoran stone carvers want to do is to carve that rock so that it will exactly resemble the dinosaur it's based on, instead of roughly resembling that dinosaur."

"So you're going to make it look _exactly_ like a Longneck?" asked Littlefoot.

"That's right. And yes, I did hear about that little mishap you caused some time ago. Don't worry, we're going to replace that missing piece with the same exact type of stone that makes up the rest of the rock, and we'll use the best methods we've got to keep it in place."

"Sounds like you'll be busy for a while," commented Takua. "Well, good luck with the carving."

"Thanks, and good luck finding the rest of the Energy Stones." Hafu then followed the Po-Matoran to Saurus Rock. The rest of the group then walked through the passage back to the Great Valley.

As soon as they were back in the valley, Takua took the Energy Stone out of his backpack. He gave it to Huki and said, "Take this to Po-Koro with you and give it to Turaga Onewa. I know he'll keep it safe."

"No problem, Takua," replied Huki. "You know, I actually think it was a good thing that those Nui-Jaga attacked us. The Koli match that was supposed to be today will take place tomorrow, and that good amount of exercise I got today will help improve my abilities in that game. Thanks for letting me come with you." Huki then left and headed to Po-Koro. Takua noticed that most of his friends seemed confused by what Huki had said, so he simply shrugged.

Now that today's part of the quest was over, the gang had the rest of the evening to rest up after everything they had been through today. Tomorrow they would begin the search for another Energy Stone.


	31. Into the Ice

**Chapter 30**

**Into the Ice**

By mid-morning the next day, the gang had once again gathered near the tablet at the Kini-Nui temple. Now that they had found two of the Energy Stones, they believed that they had four more left to find. To find the next Energy Stone, they would need to reveal the next clue on the tablet.

"How are we going to reveal the clue to the next Energy Stone?" asked Cera.

"Chomper revealed the first clue just by touching the tablet, but he couldn't reveal another clue. But when Spike touched the tablet, another clue appeared. I think that one of us who hasn't touched the tablet should touch it so we can see the next clue," replied Littlefoot.

"I guess there's only one way to find out if that's true," said Ruby. She walked up to the tablet and touched it. Sure enough, another single row of letters appeared on the tablet.

Takua walked up to the tablet and studied the clue. The symbol next to the clue was six lines that went from a central point and outward in equal directions. "Looks like this is the clue to find the Energy Stone of Ice," said Takua. "To find it, we will have to 'seek beneath the white mountain'."

"The White Mountain?" exclaimed Cera. "We know where that is, and I don't want to go there again!"

"But Cera, if we do not go there we will not get the Energy Stone. No, no, no," said Ducky.

"If it will make you feel any better, we'll bring a Ko-Matoran to help us," said Takua.

For Cera, that would just make things worse. However, she decided that it would be useless to argue against everyone, so she decided to accept it. "Fine, but as soon as we're done with this, I don't even want to see a single piece of ice for the rest of my life!"

"Alright, but which Ko-Matoran should come with us?" asked Littlefoot.

"How about Matoro?" suggested Ruby.

"How can a translator like him help us find an Energy Stone?" asked Cera.

"Matoro is more than just a translator," stated Takua. "He isn't with Turaga Nuju all of the time. Whenever he wasn't on duty as a translator, he was often hunting Rahi out in the Drifts not far from Ko-Koro. If anyone knows how to survive in such a cold and desolate area, it's him."

"I wonder if Turaga Nuju will allow him to come with us," said Chomper.

"Only one way to find out," said Takua as he began heading towards Ko-Koro. The others followed him.

* * *

The gang soon arrived at Ko-Koro. They entered the Sanctum and soon found Nuju along with Matoro, both of whom were busy studying the prophecies written upon the wall. Everyone knew that it was always a bad idea to interrupt a Ko-Matoran from his work, but the gang needed an answer right now. "Turaga Nuju, may we ask you something?" asked Takua.

Nuju turned to face them and replied in his usual form of clicks, whistles, and gestures. Matoro then turned to face them as well. "He says that there is no need to ask your question. He knows why you are here," Matoro translated."You are going to find the Energy Stone of Ice, and you wish to have a Ko-Matoran accompany you to help you through the harsh terrain you will face. Turaga Nuju will let me come with you. Just wait a few minutes so that I may prepare myself for the journey ahead of us."

Nuju then made more clicks, whistles, and gestures. Matoro translated. "He also suggests that you ask Kopeke to come with us as well. He may not be much company, for he is hard and prefers solitude. However, his lack of cheer is made up for in his great amount of skill. He is athletic and skilled in ice crafting. Wait outside the village with him until I am ready to depart with you." Matoro then walked away to get some things he would need for this part of the quest.

Although most of them weren't sure about it, they decided that they should ask Kopeke to come with them. A few minutes later, they found him standing in the same place in which they first met him. Once Takua got his attention, he asked, "Will you help us find one of the Energy Stones?"

"I will come," replied Kopeke, surprisingly without any hesitation.

They then headed back to the village and waited for Matoro to arrive. A few minutes later, Matoro arrived, saying that he was ready to go with them.

However, Ruby noticed that Matoro had something else besides a backpack on his back. It resembled a long straight stick, positioned vertically with the top well above his head. Attached to the top end of the stick was something that seemed to be similar to a leaf, but was shaped like an elongated triangle and was bright orange in color. "What is that?" asked Ruby, pointing at the object.

"This?" asked Matoro, grabbing the object. "It's a flag. It's brightly colored so that it's easier to see. I decided to bring this so that no one will get lost. If we are in a snowy area and we're in the middle of a storm, just remember to stay near this flag and you won't get lost."

"That's a great idea," commented Littlefoot.

"Alright, since you guys say you've been to the White Mountain before, how about you lead us there?" asked Takua.

"No problem, Takua," replied Chomper. They all then left the village and began heading for the White Mountain, where they would find the next Energy Stone.

* * *

It took no less than an hour for the group to arrive at the White Mountain. Now all they had to do was find the Energy Stone somewhere on the mountain. "How will we find the Energy Stone in this place?" asked Ducky.

"Since the clue said to 'seek beneath the white mountain', I think we should try to find a cave entrance or something like that, then look inside to see if the Energy Stone is there," replied Takua.

Matoro knelt down and grabbed a handful of snow from the ground. He then let it fall from his hand, observing how the powdery snow fell and noticed a lack of wind. "I fear the first task may not be so easy," stated Matoro. "This snow is fresh, which means that it fell recently. Unless the wind picks up, any cave entrance we may find could be buried in snow, making it nearly impossible to see."

"And if we can't find it?" asked Cera.

"The only guaranteed way to find a cave entrance in this case would be to step on every single part of this mountain until we stumble across it, and that could easily take days."

There was silence for a moment. Finally, Takua said, "I guess we better get started. We won't get anything done by just standing here." Everyone agreed with him. They decided to head for the top and work their way down.

About a third of the way up, the group came to a large crevasse with no obvious way across it. "Do you think the cave entrance is down there?" asked Chomper.

"Only one way to find out," replied Littlefoot. "Petrie, fly down there and tell us if you find a cave entrance."

"What? Me?" asked Petrie. "No way! Ask someone else."

"If I was a Flyer, I'd volunteer. But since that isn't true, I'm afraid you have no choice, Petrie," said Takua.

Knowing he indeed had no choice, Petrie sighed in frustration and said, "Fine, me quick-look." He then flew into the crevasse. Fortunately, it wasn't too dark to see the bottom. After a few minutes, he had seen nothing but ice, snow, and more ice, but no possible cave entrances. As he flew back to the others, he noticed something on the bottom of the crevasse. It was a large creature, likely a Rahi, considering its bio-mechanical appearance. He flew closer to get a better look at the Rahi. This turned out to be a bad idea, as its massive jaws rushed towards him and snapped shut. Fortunately, he managed to avoid those jaws. He quickly flew back up to the others.

When Petrie returned, Littlefoot asked, "What did you see down there?"

"No caves. Just snow, ice, and a big ugly scary Rahi," replied a still startled Petrie.

Takua looked over the edge and saw the Rahi Petrie was referring to. "A Muaka," said Takua. "And it's wearing infected masks."

The large, tiger-like Rahi then noticed the group, so it began attempting to climb the wall of the crevasse. The ice made it difficult, but not impossible.

"We'd better find a way to stop it before it reaches us," said Matoro. "A jaw like that has been known to severely injure Matoran, and something tells me that the young dinosaurs here would not be able to survive it."

"How are we going to stop it, throw snow on it?" asked Cera.

"It's worth a try," replied Chomper. He then grabbed handfuls of snow and tossed them onto the Muaka. Obviously, the Muaka wasn't bothered by it at all.

"That won't do, Chomper," said Takua. "We'll need a lot more snow." Using his feet, Takua shoved large amounts of snow onto the Muaka. It was bothered just enough that it temporarily stopped climbing. "That's only enough to delay him. We need another plan."

While most of the others were busy shoving snow into the crevasse, Kopeke was busy with something else. He observed the mountain slope, then looked down into the crevasse. Finally, he decided exactly what he would do. He grabbed a handful of snow and began compacting it.

Littlefoot noticed Kopeke making a snowball. "Kopeke? What are you doing?" asked Littlefoot.

"Remain calm," stated Kopeke. Then, with all of his strength, he threw the snowball towards a higher part of the slope. The snowball had been thrown so far away that the impact was barely audible. Then a low rumble was heard, and it began to grow louder. Along with that rumble, it appeared as if part of the slope was coming down the mountain right towards them.

As everyone heard the noise, they looked up and were shocked at what they saw. "Uh-oh, avalanche!" shouted Takua.

Although the gang had never heard of that word before, they knew what would happen to them if they didn't get away from the rapidly-approaching wall of snow. "We have to get out of here now!" shouted Littlefoot.

"No! Stay here," said Kopeke.

"What!? Are you crazy!?" exclaimed Cera.

"Just watch," replied Kopeke. The others weren't sure about it, but since Kopeke wasn't going anywhere, they decided to stay with him.

The avalanche was approaching them very fast. Soon, the only thing that stood between them and certain doom was the large crevasse. The avalanche fell into the crevasse. The Muaka roared in frustration as it was buried by the huge amount of snow. By the time the avalanche had almost passed, the crevasse was completely filled in with snow. What remained of the avalanche was only enough bury everyone's feet.

Everything was now quiet. Most of the group couldn't believe what had just happened. Petrie actually fainted due to the fact that the massive avalanche had just stopped right in front of them. Everyone was silent for a few seconds.

"Shall we continue?" suggested Kopeke, as he began to cross the filled-in crevasse.

Nobody said anything as they crossed the filled-in crevasse as well. After such an event and comment, one would have expected some laughter. However, Kopeke never even cracked a smile at all. A typical response from a Ko-Matoran.

Once everyone had crossed the crevasse, they continued up the slope to try to find a cave entrance that could lead them to the Energy Stone. After crossing the crevasse, Matoro noticed the wind was starting to pick up.


	32. Beneath the White Mountain

**Chapter 31**

**Beneath the White Mountain**

The group was now struggling to keep moving in the blizzard that had just hit. The strong winds made it difficult to move in the direction they were going, and the snow blowing into their faces wasn't making it any easier.

"I can't believe how fast this storm came in," said Cera. The wind was so loud that she had to yell just so anyone could even hear her.

"Yeah, even I'm surprised by it," said Takua, who also had to yell over the noise of the wind.

The storm was making most of them feel very cold. Littlefoot noticed that Matoro didn't seem as affected by the storm as his friends were. "Aren't you cold, Matoro?" asked Littlefoot.

"Not really," replied Matoro. "Storms like these are very common out in the Drifts. I guess you could say that I've gotten used to it."

Littlefoot also had to admit that it was indeed a good idea for Matoro to bring that flag with him. Otherwise, half of the group could have easily gotten lost by now. Matoro was at the front of the group, followed by Littlefoot, Spike, Takua, Cera, Kopeke, Ruby, and Chomper. Ducky was riding on Spike's back, so she didn't worry about getting lost. Petrie had wrapped himself around Littlefoot's neck, struggling to stay warm.

Chomper felt very cold. He was shivering a lot. Soon, the cold became too much for him to continue on. He stopped and fell to his knees as he continued to shiver. Fortunately, Ruby looked back and noticed him there. "Chomper, you must not stop or you will get lost!" she exclaimed. "We have to keep going so we won't get lost!" She decided to carry him until he was able to walk again, which didn't seem likely to happen anytime soon.

Although they all knew they were on the side of a mountain, there seemed to be nothing at all in sight, considering the low visibility. "Anytime I'd like to find a cave entrance, now would be the time," grumbled Cera. Immediately after saying this, she fell into a hole in the ground that had been covered in snow. She didn't fall far, but everyone quickly noticed what had happened.

Everyone looked down into the hole. They couldn't see Cera because the hole curved in one direction towards where she had ended up. "Are you alright, Cera?" asked Littlefoot.

"I'm fine," replied Cera. "At least it's not so cold and windy down here."

"In that case, move over, because I'm coming down there with you," said Takua. He then jumped into the hole and slid down the curved icy passage.

"Why did he do that?" asked Ducky.

"I get it, he wants us to take shelter in there until the storm passes," remarked Littlefoot. "We better follow him." He then jumped into the hole and slid down the icy passage as well, taking Petrie with him. He was then followed by Spike with Ducky, Ruby with Chomper, Matoro, and Kopeke.

Everyone looked around and noticed that they were now in a small ice cavern. It was still relatively cold, but nowhere near as cold as it was outside. Also, it was actually not that dark.

Despite how much warmer it was, Ruby noticed that Chomper was still shivering. "Chomper is still cold. Does anyone have anything that can warm him up?" asked Ruby.

"Of course I do," replied Takua. He then took his heatstone out of his backpack and removed the lid from the canister that contained it. He set it down on the snowy ground so that only the canister and not the stone itself touched the snow. He asked everyone who was cold to gather around it to warm up. The gang did just that, and were quickly feeling more comfortable. Takua also warned them to not touch the stone itself, since it was very hot.

As everyone sat around the heatstone, Littlefoot realized something. "Hey, remember we were looking for a cave entrance? I think we just found it, right here," he said.

"I think you're right, Littlefoot. In fact, I think I see a tunnel that might lead us further down inside this mountain," said Takua, pointing at the tunnel entrance at the other side of the cavern. "I suggest that we rest here for a few minutes, then head down that tunnel and hopefully find the Energy Stone." Everyone agreed with him.

A few minutes later, everyone was ready to find the Energy Stone of Ice. Since there was snow on the floor of the tunnel, it prevented anyone from slipping on the ice that the tunnel was made of. It wasn't long before they reached a much larger ice cavern. They were quite high up in that cavern, and the only way to another tunnel on the other side was a raised pathway made entirely of ice.

Matoro decided to be at the front. As soon as he stepped on the icy path, he warned, "Be very careful here, this ice is very slippery."

As each of them began to walk across on the path, they moved slowly and carefully. Cera started slipping a little, but she managed to regain control. Chomper slipped and collided into one of Littlefoot's legs. He decided to hold onto that leg until they were across. Littlefoot said that he wouldn't mind it.

They were now about halfway across. Suddenly, Ruby started slipping on the ice. She tried to regain her balance, but she was unable to do it. As she began to slip off the right edge of the high pathway, her flailing arms caused her to grab Matoro's arm, dragging him down with her. "Ruby!" shouted Matoro in anger as he was pulled down.

"Ruby! Matoro!" shouted Littlefoot as he saw them fall down the steep slope at the edge of the icy path. They slid down the slope and across the cavern floor until they finally stopped by colliding into one of the cavern walls.

The two of them got up slowly, since the collision had been painful. "I'm very sorry about that, Matoro, very sorry I am," said Ruby.

Matoro began looking around. "You should be, because there's no way we can climb up that icy slope," he said. He then noticed another tunnel that led out of the cavern. "I guess our only option now is to go down that tunnel and hope that it will somehow lead us back to the others." He then headed for the tunnel with Ruby following behind him.

Back on the icy pathway, the others were still trying to safely get across. The path now sloped downward a little. Spike then started to slip. He was now sliding down the slope and was unable to stop. He then collided into Cera, the impact causing Ducky to fall off his back. Fortunately, she managed to grab onto one of Littlefoot's legs before she slid too far away. Spike and Cera then collided into Takua and the three of them veered to the left, where they slid down a short but very steep slope.

The slope led to another icy tunnel. They continued to slide through that tunnel until they were stopped by the snowy floor of a small cavern. The three of them got up and brushed the snow off of themselves. "Now do you see why I hate this stuff!?" exclaimed Cera.

Takua looked around and noticed another way out of the cavern. "Why don't we actually solve the problem instead of complaining about it? We can't go back the way we came, so our only option is to go that way," said Takua, pointing at the icy tunnel in front of them.

"Then how are we going to find the others?"

"I guess we'll just have to hope that this tunnel will lead us to them." Reluctantly, the three of them headed into the tunnel.

The only ones left on the icy path were Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, Chomper, and Kopeke. Ducky and Chomper were still holding onto Littlefoot's legs, while Petrie was flying right above them. However, Kopeke seemed to be used to walking on smooth ice, as he was now far ahead of them and moving even further away.

"Kopeke, slow down. I can't keep up with you," said Littlefoot. Kopeke made no response. "Kopeke, slow down! Kopeke!" Littlefoot then slipped on the ice and began to slide quickly towards Kopeke. "Woah, Kopeke!"

Finally, Kopeke stopped. He sighed in frustration and turned around. As soon as he turned around, Littlefoot collided into him. Although they were now on the other side of the massive cavern, they were now sliding down the tunnel without any way of stopping.

After sliding past many turns, they were finally stopped by the snowy floor of another small cavern. Petrie, who had been trying to catch up with them, arrived to see them getting up and brushing the snow off of themselves. "Is everyone alright?" asked Littlefoot.

"I think so," replied Chomper.

"We are all okay. We are, we are," replied Ducky.

"What we do now?" asked Petrie.

"We need to find the others, first," replied Littlefoot. "Then we can continue looking for the Energy Stone. I think we should start by continuing down this tunnel, seeing as we can't go back the way we came." He then turned to Petrie. "Petrie, fly down this tunnel and tell us what you find."

"No worry-problem," replied Petrie. He flew down the tunnel and around the first curve, where he disappeared from view. Only a second later, the others heard him scream in terror. Everyone rushed down the tunnel to find him with his back against the wall. He was shaking, not from the cold, but from fear.

"What is it, Petrie?" asked Ducky.

"Th-th-that!" exclaimed Petrie, pointing at the wall in front of him. They looked and were shocked at what they saw. Frozen behind a thick layer of ice on the wall was a Fast-Runner. Judging by his size, he seemed to be younger than Ruby. What was most disturbing was the position he was frozen in. He seemed as if he had been thrown against the wall and was frozen the instant he hit it.

"Woah, how did that happen to him?" asked Chomper.

"Is he...?" asked Ducky, unable to finish.

Fortunately, Kopeke knew what she was talking about. "Truthfully, I doubt it," he replied.

"Wait a minute, are you saying... he could still be alive in there?" asked Littlefoot.

Kopeke nodded, implying that the answer was yes.

"Then we have to get him out of there," said Littlefoot.

"I'll get him out of there," said Chomper. He rushed to the icy wall and began scratching at it. Being a Sharptooth, he believed that his clawed hands would allow him to scratch through the ice. However, this was proving very difficult. He started to get tired after only a minute. To his surprise, the ice seemed unaffected. He gave up and said, "It's no use. I can't even scratch it."

"What we do now?" asked Petrie.

"Well, if we can't scratch that ice, then we certainly can't break it," stated Littlefoot. "I guess the only other option would be to melt that ice. But where are we going to find enough heat for it? We certainly don't have it."

"Takua has a heatstone. He does, he does," replied Ducky.

"In that case, we need to find Takua and bring him here so he can save this Fast-Runner," said Littlefoot. He turned to Kopeke. "Kopeke, stay here and make sure nothing bad happens to that Fast-Runner. We'll be back as soon as we can." He then ran further into the tunnel, with Ducky, Petrie, and Chomper following him.

Kopeke took another look at the frozen Fast-Runner. He might have found it amusing to think that nothing bad could ever happen to someone who was frozen, but humor was not the kind of thing he liked to think about. At least he was pleased to actually have some solitude, even if only for a few minutes.


	33. Ice Caves

**Chapter 32**

**Ice Caves**

Takua, Cera, and Spike were walking down an icy tunnel. The floor of the tunnel wasn't slippery because there was snow covering the floor. However, the thickness of the snow layer wasn't consistent. This caused Cera to slip on an icy spot and slide forward down the tunnel, as it was sloped slightly downward.

Takua and Spike were easily able to catch up to her because she didn't go far. She soon came to a stop and found herself face-to-face with a Fast-Biter on the ground. She screamed and quickly backed off a little. She then noticed that it was laying on the ground and was not moving at all. Perhaps it was asleep.

Takua walked up to the unmoving Fast-Biter and brushed off some of the snow that covered it. He then knocked on it and noticed that its body was as stiff as a rock. "Don't worry, he won't attack us," assured Takua. "He's dead. Frozen solid." As he spoke, he moved his hand across the frozen body, just to make sure that it really was dead. When he grabbed one of the Fast-Biter's hands, one of its fingers snapped off like a twig. They now realized that this Fast-Biter really was frozen solid. Takua dropped the finger and said, "We better get out of here before any of us end up like this guy."

"Good idea," said Cera. They continued on down the tunnel. Out of fear of freezing to death, they were now moving at a slightly faster pace.

* * *

Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, and Chomper were walking down another icy tunnel. They had no idea where they were going. All they knew was that they had to find Takua soon. "Try to stay together, everyone. We don't want to lose anyone else down here," said Littlefoot.

Chomper didn't pay attention to Littlefoot's warning. He was too busy observing the icy tunnels and caverns they were traveling through. He had never seen such a place and found it quite fascinating. Soon, without realizing it, he wandered away from the others when the tunnel split in two directions and he went into the tunnel the others didn't take. He was too busy looking around to notice this.

A few seconds later, he saw what appeared to be a sheet of clear ice as a large wall, and he saw a large Sharptooth on the other side of the ice. Chomper screamed and jumped behind a chunk of ice on the floor. He cautiously looked past the edge of the ice chunk and saw that the Sharptooth was doing likewise. He then realized that this was actually his reflection.

"Hey, that's not another Sharptooth. That's me," said Chomper to himself. He stood in front of the ice, the shape of which made his reflection seem like a large Sharptooth. He decided to do something playful. He stomped his feet and playfully roared, "I am a big, mean, Sharptooth! Grrrrrrr!" He made his reflection show a large mouth full of sharp teeth. He laughed and shouted, "Hey guys, come look at this!" He didn't get any reply. "Guys?" Now he suddenly realized that he was alone.

Chomper ran further down the tunnel and called, "Guys? Where are you?" He continued running until he slipped on the icy floor and slid down the tunnel. He stopped when he collided into an icicle that was sticking up out of the floor. He slowly stood up and tried to back up, only to realize that his tongue was now somehow stuck on the icicle. He tried to pull it off, but it proved to be very difficult. He then tried using his feet, but he actually managed to break off a piece of the icicle, with his tongue still stuck on it. Since ice was just another form of water, he decided to eat the icicle piece in order to get it off his tongue.

With that problem solved, Chomper resumed looking for the others he had wandered away from. Again, he slipped on the icy floor and slid down the tunnel. He soon reached another tunnel, where he landed in a pile of snow. He emerged from the snow pile with some snow atop his head. He turned around and saw that he was now standing in front of Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie. "There you are! I thought I would never find you!" he exclaimed.

They clearly weren't too happy about it. "Maybe you should walk in front of us so you won't get lost again," suggested Littlefoot.

"Good idea," said Chomper. He shook the snow off of his head, then turned around and started walking. Littlefoot, with Ducky and Petrie on his back, followed him.

* * *

Further away, Ruby and Matoro were walking through another icy tunnel. Ruby found it strangely quiet down here. The only sound they heard was the echoing of their footsteps. "I find it hard to imagine living and working the way a Ko-Matoran lives and works," said Ruby. "It seems so... quiet."

"I guess it's just the way we are, although I would consider myself more friendly and outgoing than most Ko-Matoran," said Matoro.

"That is good to know, but why do Ko-Matoran prefer silence?"

"I'm not being rude here, but most Ko-Matoran would probably say, 'You would be able to learn more easily if you were to keep your mouth shut'."

"That does make sense. After all, you can't learn if you can't listen, and you can't listen if you are speaking. Of course, that might only work when someone is trying to teach you something, because if there's no one is talking to you, there's no one to listen to. But then there are other ways you could learn something by not speaking."

Ruby then noticed something to her right. It was a sheet of ice that appeared to be blocking access to a short tunnel, like a wall. What really caught her attention was what was on the other side of the ice. Its image was distorted by the ice, but there was an object not far behind the ice sheet that glowed an icy blue light. "Look, Matoro! I think I might have found something!" exclaimed Ruby.

Matoro turned to look at the sheet of ice and saw that object as well. "What is it?" he asked.

"I think that is the Energy Stone of Ice. But we can't get it because we are on this side of the ice and not that side."

Matoro then grabbed one of the small ice picks on the side of his backpack. "Stand back," he said. Once Ruby had backed up far enough, he swung the ice pick with all of his strength and shattered the wall of ice.

As Matoro put away his ice pick, Ruby walked over the icy shards that once made up the wall of ice and stopped right in front of the Energy Stone. She grabbed it with her hands and tried to pull it out of its position partially in the floor. She struggled for a second, but she managed to get it out. She held it in her hands and looked at it in awe and wonder.

Matoro also looked at the Energy Stone. Ruby was kind enough to let him hold it for a few seconds. He then gave it back to her and said, "Well, it looks like we got what we came here for. Now all we have to do is find the others and get back to the Great Valley."

Ruby agreed and followed Matoro as he continued down the tunnel they were traveling through, hoping that they would find the others very soon.

* * *

Takua, Cera, and Spike were still heading down the tunnel at their slightly rapid rate. Takua then slipped on an icy spot and fell flat on his back. Now they realized that their rapid movement was a bad idea. Takua groaned in pain and tried to stand up.

"Are you alright?" asked Cera.

"Yeah, I think so," replied Takua. "I think we should start slowing down a bit. The floor here is starting to get very icy."

"I think I heard something this way."

That voice came around a curve in the tunnel that was not too far up ahead. They quickly realized that it was a familiar voice. "Littlefoot, is that you?" asked Takua.

They then saw Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, and Chomper appear from around the curve. "Takua! Cera! Spike! We found you!" exclaimed Littlefoot. The two groups rushed towards each other, happy to be together again.

Now all they had to do was find Ruby and Matoro. However, Cera suddenly realized someone else was missing. "Wait a minute, something isn't right here. Where's Kopeke?" asked Cera.

"We told him to stay behind," replied Littlefoot. "We found a Fast-Runner frozen inside a wall of ice. We told him to stay there until we came back with you guys. We couldn't break the ice, so the only way to save that Fast-Runner is to use Takua's heatstone."

Realizing someone's life was at risk, Takua quickly agreed to help. Littlefoot led the way back in the direction his group had come from towards the frozen Fast-Runner.

* * *

A few minutes after finding the Energy Stone, a thought occurred to Ruby. "I've been wondering about something, Matoro," she said. "When we slipped on that icy path, we fell down a long way. If we want to find the others, doesn't that mean we will have to climb up a long way so that we can get back to where we were?"

As if right on cue, they came around a curve in the tunnel and found themselves in another ice cavern, and the only other exit was at the top of one of the walls, which was much higher up than the length of an adult Longneck. "You had to say that, didn't you?" grumbled Matoro.

Ruby shrugged. "At least I said it before we saw it." They approached the tall, icy wall that they would now have to climb. "Any ideas on how we are going to get from down here to up there?" asked Ruby.

Matoro had two ice picks, one on each side of his backpack. He grabbed those ice picks and replied, "All I have that would work are these ice picks. I've been able to climb an icy cliff with just two ice picks a few times before. However, I'm not sure if it'll work this time. In order to get you up there as well, I'll need to carry you on my back, and I've never done such a climb with so much weight on my back."

"What's so bad about it?"

"To reduce the chances of falling off, I need to climb at a constant pace. Climbing by sticking one pick in front of the other requires concentration and as I become exhausted from the climbing, it becomes harder to maintain that concentration. Extra weight on my back will cause me to tire out more quickly, making it more difficult for me to climb."

"Is there anything I can do to make it easier for you to climb all the way up there without falling off?"

"Yes, try to remain silent for the entire climb. Talking with me will only make it harder for me to concentrate."

Ruby agreed to do so. Matoro then turned to face the icy wall and knelt down so Ruby could get on his back. She climbed onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, Energy Stone in hand. The flag that stuck out of his backpack was in the way a little, but she moved it aside just enough so that it wouldn't bother her too much.

Matoro stood up, took a deep breath and said, "Alright, here we go." He then ran towards the icy wall and jumped. When he hit the wall, he stuck his ice picks in it and they didn't fall. They were about half a meter away from the cavern floor. He then removed the left pick and stuck it in a little higher than the right one. He removed the right pick and stuck it in a little higher than the left one. Matoro repeated this process continuously, causing them to slowly move upwards along the cavern wall.

Ruby looked up and saw how far Matoro would have to climb. He was doing good at the moment, but both of them knew that it would be a long climb.

* * *

Kopeke had hardly moved anywhere by the time Littlefoot's group, along with Takua's group, arrived. The frozen Fast-Runner had indeed stayed where he was. Takua's group, having seen the Fast-Runner for the first time, were shocked at what they saw. "What happened to him?" asked Cera.

"I don't know," replied Takua. "But I'm sure he knows. Of course, the only way he'll be able to talk to us is if we get him out of there." Takua then took out his heatstone and removed the lid of the canister that contained it. He held it up to the Fast-Runner and, almost immediately, the ice began melting. He moved it all across the entire body of the Fast-Runner to ensure that he would be able to free him more quickly.

After a few seconds, the ice was melting very rapidly. Soon, the layer of ice that covered the young Fast-Runner became so thin that it shattered, causing him to fall off the wall and land on the cave floor. He was breathing slowly and heavily. Takua then put the lid back on the canister of his heatstone. About half a minute later, the Fast-Runner looked up at Takua. Then, to everyone's surprise, he quickly got up and ran away screaming.

"Hey, where are you going? Come back!" called Takua. He ran after the Fast-Runner. The others had no choice but to follow him.

The Fast-Runner soon entered a tunnel none of the others, not even Chomper, had been in. There was a sharp curve up ahead and the floor of it was icy. The Fast-Runner turned but slipped on the ice, landing on his stomach. He quickly got up and continued running. Takua slid on the ice and collided with the tunnel wall. He was stunned for only a second before he resumed his chase. "Come back! I don't want to hurt you!" he called.

The rest of the group, except for Kopeke, slid on the ice and piled up against the wall Takua had collided into. Kopeke slowed down just enough so that when he was on the ice, he was able to turn and keep running without slipping or falling. "Sure, he makes it look easy," said Cera, sarcastically.

The Fast-Runner now reached a dead-end. He turned around and saw Takua quickly approaching him. Out of options, he got down on the ground and tightly held himself, as if he was expecting to get killed. When Takua saw this, he knew he would have to speak calmly to him. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you," he said in a calm voice. "You must be cold after being stuck inside that ice." He removed the lid of the canister that contained his heatstone. "Here, this will warm you up." He held the heatstone close to the Fast-Runner.

The young Fast-Runner was unsure at first, but when he felt the warmth of the heatstone, he began to feel more relaxed. He reached his hands out to take in more of the warmth. When he tried to touch the stone, Takua pulled it back a little and said, "Careful, don't touch it. It's very hot."

The Fast-Runner was starting to smile by the time the rest of the group arrived. Takua turned to them and said, "I don't know why he ran from us, but I'm sure he'll tell us. I think we should let him warm up a bit before we ask him about what happened to him." The others agreed and sat on the floor of the cave near the heatstone.

* * *

Matoro and Ruby were now getting close to the top of the wall. Matoro was now climbing at a slower pace and was breathing heavily. He was clearly getting exhausted, but he kept on going.

Ruby, meanwhile, was still holding on. Since she knew she needed to be silent until they were at the top, she was busy with her thoughts. She thought about Matoro and how great he was for letting her ride on his back while he did all of the climbing. She considered him a real friend. However, as she thought about him, she thought of him as more than just a friend. She had thoughts of him being something much closer to her. She couldn't understand why she had these thoughts. Perhaps a small talk with Matoro would clear this up a bit for her. That would be after they reached the top. For now, she remained silent.

About a minute later, they were at the top. Matoro dug his ice picks into the top edge of the wall he had just climbed, allowing Ruby to climb onto his shoulders and onto what turned out to be the floor of another tunnel. Once Ruby had gotten off, he pulled himself up the rest of the way over the edge. He then put his ice picks back on the sides of his backpack and sat with his back against the tunnel wall.

Matoro was exhausted from all that climbing. Ruby decided to let him rest for a few minutes before deciding to speak with him. When she was ready, she was about to say something when he held up his hand, implying that she needed to be silent again. "I hear voices," he said. Ruby listened carefully and heard those voices too. "That way." He pointed to the right of the direction they had come from.

"Do you think we will find the others in that direction?" asked Ruby.

Having finished his rest, Matoro stood up and replied, "Only one way to find out." He then headed in the direction of the voices with Ruby following close behind.

* * *

Although the young Fast-Runner was no longer cold, he was still not yet ready to talk. Everyone had thought that his skin was blue because he was cold, but it turned out to be his actual skin color. The gang decided to pass the time by telling Takua about a few more of their past adventures. Nobody knew or were willing to ask if Kopeke was listening.

The gang had just finished talking about one of their adventures when Kopeke suddenly held up his hand and said, "Quiet." Everyone quickly became silent. Kopeke listened for a few seconds. "Somebody is coming." Everyone listened carefully and they did indeed hear footsteps approaching. Since they were still in the dead-end, they had nowhere to go. Soon, from around the curve in the tunnel, they saw Ruby and Matoro walking towards them.

"Matoro! Ruby! You found us!" exclaimed Takua. The gang rushed towards Ruby to welcome their friend back.

After receiving those welcomes, Ruby noticed the young Fast-Runner sitting near the heatstone. "What are you doing here?" she asked the Fast-Runner. "Don't you know how dangerous it is to be in a dangerous place like this?"

Takua seemed confused. "Do you know him?" he asked.

"Yes, he is my young brother," replied Ruby.

"Your brother?" asked Matoro. "If he's supposed to be with the rest of your family, then what is he doing here?"

"Don't ask us," replied Cera. "We found him frozen inside a wall of ice."

When Ruby heard this, she was shocked and immediately knew something bad must have happened to her brother. She walked up to him and sat down in front of him. She comforted him by calmly saying, "Don't worry, you're safe now that you are with us and not alone. Could you tell me how you got here and what happened to you?"

Finally, Ruby's brother was willing to speak. "Well, we were on our way back to our home near Hanging Rock. We had to cross the White Mountain because the only other path was blocked by a rock-slide. A storm hit and I got separated from my family. I then ended up down here, but I didn't know which way to go to get out. Then I met him. A dark, shadowy thing who called himself Makuta. He wanted me to give him something called an Energy Stone, but I didn't know what he was talking about. He then somehow covered me in hard water and that's the last thing I can remember. Then I somehow got free. I saw the one your friends call Takua. I had never seen anyone like him before, so I thought he was Makuta. That's why I ran away from all of you. I don't know what an Energy Stone is, but I think we should find it."

"Don't worry, we won't have to go find that Energy Stone because we already have it," said Ruby, showing him the Energy Stone in her hand. "It's right here."

Ruby's brother looked at it with amazement. "That's an Energy Stone? Can I hold it?"

Ruby was about to hand it over when Matoro quickly snatched it out of her hand. He then walked up to Takua and said, "Here Takua, you hold onto this for now."

Takua was just as shocked and surprised as everyone else. "Uh, Matoro?" he asked. "Didn't you just notice-"

"Notice what?" Matoro then walked around to face Takua's back. "Here, I'll put it in your backpack for you." Matoro put the Energy Stone in Takua's backpack and walked away. Takua looked at Ruby and her brother and just shrugged. It was obvious that, for some reason, Matoro didn't want Ruby's brother to have the Energy Stone.

Takua began to head down the tunnel and said, "Well, now that we have the Energy Stone, let's get out of here and go home."

Kopeke then quickly stepped in his way. "No," he simply said. "The storm outside is still there."

"He's right," said Matoro. "We may have been down here for a while, but that storm could still be out there. I suggest we stay here and wait for it to pass." He then heard Spike yawn. "Besides, it's getting late. I think we should spend the night here. That should allow enough time for the storm to pass."

Although Matoro's recent act had made everyone unsure about him, they had to agree. Many of them felt tired and decided that they should sleep here. The heatstone would ensure that none of them would freeze.

Everyone soon found a spot to sleep in for the night. If anyone had noticed Ruby choosing to sleep near Matoro, they probably wouldn't have found it worth noticing. Takua sat down on the icy floor with his back against the icy wall. He took off his backpack and set it down on the floor beside him.

No more than an hour later, everyone was asleep. Everyone, that is, except for Ruby's brother. Most of his attention was on Takua, particularly on his backpack which contained the Energy Stone.


	34. Betrayed

**Chapter 33**

**Betrayed**

When Takua woke up, he noticed something seemed different. He soon realized that his backpack was no longer on the floor nearby, but was a little further away and its contents were scattered across the floor near it. He sighed as he got up and walked to his backpack. There was nothing in the backpack. Everything was on the floor. He put back into the backpack his lavaboard, his flute, his lightstone, his heatstone, and the throwing disk he had received from Onepu. He was relieved to know that he hadn't lost anything.

Suddenly, Takua remembered that Matoro had put the Energy Stone in his backpack before they went to sleep, and he didn't see that along with the rest of his things. He dumped the contents of his backpack onto the icy floor. All five of the items he had were there, but no Energy Stone. He shook the backpack some more and looked inside, which was completely empty. The Energy Stone was indeed missing.

Takua knew that he had to immediately tell the others about this. "Everyone! Wake up! Wake up!" he shouted. Everyone in the icy cavern woke up, some of them complaining about being woken up so early. "The Energy Stone! It's gone!"

"Gone!? What do you mean it's gone!?" exclaimed Littlefoot.

Ruby looked around. "The Energy Stone is not all that's missing," she said. "My brother is missing, too!"

At first, everyone was unsure about how this could have happened. However, it didn't take long for Cera to realize what had really happened. "I don't believe it!" she exclaimed angrily.

"What are you talking about?" asked Takua.

"Isn't it obvious!? Ruby's brother stole the Energy Stone and ran off with it!"

* * *

Although it wasn't the same place they had entered the ice caves and tunnels, the group quickly made it outside onto the slopes of the White Mountain. The snowy floor of the icy tunnels had made it easy to see where Ruby's brother had gone. Indeed, he didn't know which way to go to get out, as he seemed to have gone in circles many times. By bypassing these circles, they knew they would be able to catch up with him more quickly. Of course, wherever the floor wasn't snowy, they had to rely on Chomper, who could accurately follow the scent.

Now that they were outside, they noticed that the storm from yesterday had indeed passed and the sky was now clear. Although the snow on the ground was fresh, the trail of footprints made it obvious that Ruby's brother had gone in this direction. It was soon obvious why the footprints were so fresh. They were actually able to see him and he was still walking down the slope.

"There he is!" exclaimed Takua, pointing at Ruby's brother, who was about halfway down the slope.

"Let's get him!" shouted Cera. She then charged down the slope towards Ruby's brother.

"Cera! Wait! Don't hurt him!" exclaimed Ruby as she began to run after her.

No one else bothered to move from the cave entrance. "We have to do something!" exclaimed Littlefoot.

After making sure no one was watching them, Matoro and Kopeke gave a silent nod to each other. Kopeke then reached into Takua's backpack and pulled out the throwing disk. Kopeke then jumped into the air, held the disk underneath himself, and slid down the slope using the disk as a sled. He slid down the slope so quickly that he easily passed Ruby and Cera in only a few seconds. He was now getting very close to Ruby's brother. Using the momentum to his advantage, he leaped into the air and tackled Ruby's brother, sending them both into the snow.

Ruby's brother quickly unburied himself and, to his horror, realized he was no longer holding the Energy Stone. He frantically searched through the snow to find it. He was relieved when he did find it a few seconds later. He turned to resume his trip down the mountain when he collided into something. He looked up to see an angry-looking Kopeke standing in his way.

Kopeke held out his hand and said in a cold voice, "The Energy Stone."

"No!" exclaimed Ruby's brother in a panicked voice. "I can't give it to you!"

Kopeke remained standing there in the same position. His facial expression remained unchanged.

"Cera, don't hurt him! Don't hurt him, Cera!" shouted Ruby. Ruby's brother looked up the slope to see Cera and Ruby coming down and were now only a few meters away. The rest of the group was further away, but they were also coming down the slope.

Cera slid through the snow to a stop. Ruby stopped and stood next to her. "Alright, what do you think you're doing running off with the Energy Stone like that!?" exclaimed Cera, angrily.

"But you don't understand! I need it!" exclaimed Ruby's brother, who was clearly panicked.

"What could you possibly do with the Energy Stone!?"

"I'm not the one who wants it! Makuta is!"

"Makuta!? What we're trying to do is _not_ let him have the Energy Stones!"

"But if I don't give this Energy Stone to him, he said he'll kill my whole family!"

The rest of the group had arrived just in time to hear this. Now Ruby was just as panicked as her younger brother was. "Our whole family!?" she asked.

"Yes! Our mommy, our daddy, our sister, you, even me! He'll kill us all!"

"In that case, we'll tell Jala to send some guards to find and protect them," said Cera. "Now why don't you just hand over that Energy Stone so we can-"

"No! I can't let any of you have it!"

"Hand it over now! Don't make me have to rip it out of your hands!"

"Then try!"

Cera was about to charge at him when Ruby stepped in front of her and attempted to hold her back. Ruby's brother tried to sneak away, but Ruby told him to stay there.

As this argument was occurring, the rest of the group talked to each other about what should be done for this situation. True, they could ask Jala to send some guards to protect Ruby's family, but what if he didn't have any guards available? What if those guards couldn't find Ruby's family? For that matter, where was Ruby's family, anyway? As a result, they began arguing among themselves, as well.

Only the ever-so-quiet Kopeke was not involved in any of these arguments. It was obvious that all this arguing was getting nowhere fast. It was angering him. Finally, after a minute of hearing pointless arguing, he couldn't take it anymore. "ENOUGH!" he shouted. Everyone immediately stopped where they were and went silent. Kopeke's shout echoed across the mountain at least half a dozen times.

Soon after the echoing ceased, Takua said, "Okay, maybe we should stop arguing and let Kopeke decide what to do."

Chomper then pointed at something further down the slope and said, "I see something we can all agree on: getting away from them!"

Everyone turned their attention to what Chomper was pointing at. Coming up the slope was Redclaw and the Fast-Biters Screech and Thud. "Them again!? Up here!?" exclaimed Takua. "I'm starting to get the feeling that they might be working for Makuta."

"I told you he wants to kill us all!" exclaimed Ruby's brother.

"This is no time for arguing! We have to- Hey! What's Kopeke doing?"

Everyone turned to see Kopeke heading down the slope towards the quickly-approaching Fast-Biters. Nobody was sure what he was planning to do. However, Kopeke knew what he was doing. He had a plan. He pulled out two pieces of ice that he had collected in the ice caves yesterday. He had also used his skills in ice crafting to shape them for a unique purpose. He threw the ice pieces at both of the Fast-Biters. The ice pieces shattered as they each hit a Fast-Biter in the head, knocking out both of them without even giving them minor scratches.

Fast-Biters were one thing, but a big Sharptooth like Redclaw was very different. Throwing ice chunks wouldn't work, but Kopeke knew something that would. He approached Redclaw by moving down the slope. Soon, they were at the same level on the slope. As they continued to approach each other, Kopeke slipped on an icy spot, just what he was looking for. Now he began to back up. Redclaw was soon one step away from grabbing Kopeke. He took that step and slipped on the icy spot. He fell and hit the ground with enough force to knock him out. The impact also shook a good amount of the mountainside.

With the danger dealt with, Kopeke headed back up the slope and returned to the group. Again, he stood in front of Ruby's brother with a look of anger on his face. Again, he held out his hand and said in a cold voice, "The Energy Stone. Now."

The young fast runner's response was still the same. "No! I can't let you have it!"

This is where Kopeke decided to draw the line. "You have been warned enough," he simply said. Suddenly, he grabbed the young Fast-Runner's wrists with his left hand tightly, causing Ruby's brother to yell in pain. Kopeke then ripped the Energy Stone out of his hands and shoved him backwards into the snowy ground. About a few seconds later, Kopeke simply said, "Come with me." He then turned around and headed down the slope.

Ruby helped her brother up and checked to make sure he wasn't hurt too badly. Physically, he was fine. Emotionally, not so good. Neither of them knew what to do now.

"We better do what he says," said Takua, as he put the throwing disk Kopeke had used back into his backpack. "He is holding the Energy Stone, after all. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen Kopeke like this before."

Matoro simply shrugged and said, "Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose." Matoro then followed Kopeke down the slope. Everyone else soon followed, most of them reluctantly. Wherever they were going, only Kopeke would know.

* * *

About an hour later, the group was still following Kopeke, and were now traveling through what seemed to be an unknown part of the Mysterious Beyond. However, Kopeke seemed to know where he was going. The same couldn't be said for most of the others.

However, Chomper soon began to realize that the terrain was starting to look familiar to him. "Does anyone notice something familiar about this place?" he asked.

"Rocks, trees, dirt, typical stuff in the dinosaur universe," replied Takua.

"Actually, now that you mention it, Chomper, this place does seem familiar," said Ruby. "But I can't seem to remember what it is that's familiar about this place."

Everyone soon found themselves following Kopeke up a small rocky mountain. They soon reached the highest point on the mountain they could go, which was a large flat area. At one end of the flat area was a large rock that was angled so far towards the area that it seemed to be hanging over them. Suddenly, Ducky remembered a place similar to this. "Is this Hanging Rock?" she asked.

As soon as she heard that name, Ruby immediately knew where they were. "It is! This is Hanging Rock!" she exclaimed.

"You mean the place where you last met your family?" asked Littlefoot. "But why did we come here?"

Takua turned to Kopeke and asked, "Is this our destination?"

Kopeke nodded.

"Then can I have the Energy Stone back, now?" asked Ruby's brother.

"No," said Kopeke.

"I'd like to know why we're here," said Cera. "What's so important about being right here right now?"

Kopeke then looked over the edge that was opposite from the one the group had come over. "They are coming," he said.

"Who are you talking about? Who's coming?" asked Takua as he approached the edge and also looked down. He saw three Fast-Runners coming up the mountain: two adults and one child. Based on the skin coloration, he determined that one of the adults was male and the other adult and the child were female. The two adults seemed relatively old, while the child was around the same age as Ruby's brother. Based on the descriptions he had heard, he realized that this could be Ruby's family. When those Fast-Runners looked up and saw him and Kopeke, Takua knew Ruby's presence would be a good thing to have. He turned to her and asked, "Hey Ruby, is that your family down there?"

Ruby approached the edge and looked down. She was very pleasantly surprised by what she saw. "It is! It is my family! They are here! Here they are!" she exclaimed.

The Fast-Runners quickly came up the mountain. They soon reached the flat area, where they met the group of Matoran and young dinosaurs, even though they didn't know that the strange-looking creatures were Matoran.

Ruby's brother rushed to his parents and exclaimed, "Mommy! Daddy! I'm so glad you're okay!"

His mother picked him up in her hands. "Of course we are alright," she said, calmly. "As far as we know, we are not in any danger. Are you okay?"

"I'm not hurt or sick, but I'm not okay. Our whole family is now in big trouble!"

"What do you mean?"

"Allow me to explain everything," said Matoro.

Ruby's father looked at him. "Do you happen to be a Matoran?" he asked. "I have recently heard of the sudden appearance of such creatures in the Great Valley, and someone like yourself seems to fit the description."

"I guess word spreads fast among the Fast-Runners," said Takua to his friends, chuckling.

"Indeed, I am a Matoran. I'm a Ko-Matoran, and my name is Matoro. Before I can tell you of the situation you and your family are in now, are you aware of who Makuta is?"

"Indeed we are. In fact, we have just heard of him earlier today. We are still quite shocked to hear that such a being is actually somewhere in the Great Valley right now."

"Yes, but it's not Makuta himself that we're facing in the Great Valley. It's the everyday threat of attacks from Rahi that are controlled by Makuta through infected masks. To stop the attacks, we need to deal with Makuta, and the only known way to get him out of the Great Valley is by finding the Stones of Elemental Energy. Kopeke, over there, is currently holding one of them, the Energy Stone of Ice. For some reason, Makuta wants those Energy Stones. It seems he is so desperate to have those stones that he threatened your son to give the Energy Stone to him, or he would kill him and the rest of his family."

"So you're saying that if Makuta doesn't get that stone... he is going to kill us?"

"Apparently so. Of course, the deadly threat would likely be shown with Rahi attacks. I may not know how you manage to survive Sharptooth attacks, but I do know that Rahi under the control of Makuta are far more dangerous. If you wish to have the best chance of surviving against Makuta, then I suggest that you come with us to the Great Valley, where Matoran guards would be able to protect you from the dangers they see every day."

Ruby's parents quietly talked to each other to think about it. True, they had always thought about visiting the Great Valley themselves one day, but they had felt unsure of it, considering that their kind might not be very welcome. Although it was likely that most of the Rahi attacks would occur in the Great Valley, it was also likely that the Matoran, the only ones who would at least try to protect them, would not be willing to leave the valley. Considering the risks, their decision was clear.

"We have talked about it, and it is clear what we must do," said Ruby's father. "For our own safety, we will all have to go to the Great Valley, but only for as long as the threat from Makuta exists."

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about that problem anymore," said Takua. "Now let's head back to the Great Valley." Everyone agreed with him, and they began to climb down the mountain from Hanging Rock.

Soon after they had reach the bottom of the slope, Kopeke gave the Energy Stone to Matoro, knowing that he would give it to Nuju to keep it safe. Both Takua and Littlefoot noticed this. Takua didn't mind it, but a thought suddenly occurred to Littlefoot.

"Something doesn't make sense to me," said Littlefoot, quietly enough so that only Takua would hear him.

"What do you mean?" asked Takua.

"It's mostly about Kopeke. He took the Energy Stone back from Ruby's brother and made us follow him to Hanging Rock, where we found Ruby's family so that they could come with us to the Great Valley, where they will be safe. As far as I know, the only ones who had been to Hanging Rock besides Ruby and her family are Chomper, Ducky, and Spike. You didn't even know that it existed until we told you about it in one of our adventures, and I don't think that any other Matoran would have heard of it at all. So how can Kopeke know about Hanging Rock, know exactly how to get there from the White Mountain, and even know that Ruby's family would be there at the same time we would arrive?"

"You're right, that doesn't make sense at all. Only one way to find out why." Takua then turned his attention to Kopeke. "Hey Kopeke, how did you know the way to Hanging Rock when none of us even told you about it?"

Kopeke was silent for a few seconds before he replied, "Ask Matoro."

"Matoro?" asked Takua, surprised. Most of the traveling group turned their attention to Matoro.

At first, Matoro didn't say anything. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he replied, "Well... I suppose I don't see a reason to keep it secret anymore. Alright, for those of you who have just met me, I am the translator for Turaga Nuju, the elder of Ko-Koro, where I live. Although he understands what everyone says, he refuses to speak the same language, so he needs a translator with him for most of the time. He spends most of his time in the Sanctum studying the prophecies written on the walls of it in order to understand the future, and since he works there, I have to work there as well. A few days ago, we deciphered a series of prophecies that told us of the major events that would occur yesterday and today. That's why I didn't let Ruby's brother hold the Energy Stone last night, because I knew he was going to run off with it. However, Turaga Nuju and I agreed that Kopeke would be a better choice than me to ensure that most of the events occur correctly. I told him everything he needed to know, even how to get to Hanging Rock, on the day before yesterday. He promised to do his part and to keep the knowledge a secret."

"So you're saying that you knew everything that was going to happen before any of it happened?" asked Ruby.

"Basically, yes."

"I'm still confused about one thing," said Littlefoot. "If you knew Ruby's brother was going to steal the Energy Stone, why didn't you do anything that could have kept him from doing it while we were sleeping?"

"There was nothing we could have done to prevent that. No matter where we could have put the Energy Stone, he was watching us and would know where we put it, therefore he still would try to take it and run off with it. I was convinced that, since he was unfamiliar with those ice caves, he would easily get lost and not find a way out. That belief turned out to be almost true. Although he was definitely lost for some time, he still managed to find a way out. I had originally planned for us to intercept him in the ice caves, but fortunately for us, Kopeke had a back-up plan which allowed us to stop him on the slope."

"Me find it confusing," commented Petrie.

"That's why I don't like Ko-Matoran," said Cera. "I just think predicting the future is a big waste of time."

About a few minutes later, Ruby's father noticed something odd about Ruby. From what he saw, her attention was mostly on Matoro instead of on her surroundings. Something wasn't right and he wondered if she was aware of it. "Ruby, are you feeling alright?" he asked.

"I'm... I'm not sure," replied Ruby. "For some reason, I can't stop thinking about Matoro, and I can't seem to be able to think of anything that isn't Matoro."

Ruby's father thought about this. He knew what such feelings usually meant, but Ruby seemed too young to have such feelings. Besides, Matoro was a Matoran, and although he hadn't heard much about Matoran, he was aware of the fact that Matoran were created differently than dinosaurs. Therefore, the odds of such feelings among Matoran would be very unlikely. Still, being her father, he knew he needed to give her a believable explanation for her strange thoughts. "Well, you're probably just thankful for all the great things he has done for us recently. I'll admit that if it wasn't for him, the situation for us right now probably wouldn't be very good. I am sure that by tomorrow, when he returns to his work and you are elsewhere, those feelings will pass and won't bother you again."

"Thank you, dad. That is good to know. Good to know that is."

* * *

The group arrived at the Great Valley by late afternoon. While Matoro and Kopeke returned to Ko-Koro, the gang decided to introduce Ruby's family to everyone in the valley and describe the reason for them being here. Fortunately, it didn't take long to gather everyone and to tell them their story. Once that was done, the Great Valley dinosaurs eventually agreed to let Ruby's family stay in the valley as long as the threat of Makuta existed. Ruby's family were rather surprised by the hospitality shown to them by the leaf-eaters. They had believed that, since they didn't eat leaves, they would not be welcomed at all. Because of this, they decided that, from now on, they would be more skeptical of rumors from meat-eaters than rumors from leaf-eaters.

Littlefoot's grandparents questioned why Ruby's family were not willing to stay in the valley once the threat of Makuta had passed. They said that it just wasn't their home. Besides, they wanted to take the lesson of unity that had been in the valley for so long and spread it to other herds in the Mysterious Beyond. When they found out that unity happened to be one of the three virtues valued by the Matoran, they knew their temporary stay in the valley would be worth it.

Once the meeting was over, it was time for everyone to get some rest for the night. Ruby's family decided to sleep in the same cave Ruby and Chomper slept in, since they knew they wouldn't be staying for a long time.

It had been quite a challenge, but at least the Energy Stone of Ice had been found and was now in safe hands.


	35. Into the Jungle

**Chapter 34**

**Into the Jungle**

Ruby was very pleased that her family would be staying in the Great Valley, even if only for a short time. She wanted to show them everything there was to see in the valley, but with only half the Energy Stones found, she knew she wouldn't have enough time for that. She was also very pleased that a few Ta-Matoran guards were now assigned to protect her family, knowing the potential danger they were now in.

While Ruby went to help find another Energy Stone with her friends, her family decided to visit Saurus Rock that day, after hearing about what the Po-Matoran were doing there. They thought it would be interesting to see them working at what they did best. This suited their guards fine, as the original patrol assigned there had been reassigned to take out Nui-Jaga nests to the north.

Again, the gang was ready to reveal the clue to the next Energy Stone. "Well, who wants to go next?" asked Takua.

"Me no like places where us seek-found first few Energy Stones," replied Petrie. "Me want to seek-find Energy Stone above ground, not below it." He then flew up to the tablet and landed on it. By touching the tablet, he caused another single row of letters to appear on it. He was startled by the sudden appearance, causing him to lose his balance and fall off of the tablet, landing flat on his back.

Takua chuckled and said, "You talk like a Le-Matoran, you act like a Le-Matoran, and you even fly like a Le-Matoran."

Petrie wasn't sure if it was a complement or a joke, so he simply replied, "Yeah, me guess that true."

Takua looked at the tablet. The symbol next to the newly revealed words was three wavy lines that were aligned vertically. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Petrie. The next Energy Stone we're going to find is the Energy Stone of Air. The clue says, 'atop a tall tree, found by an exile'."

"Looks like you got your wish, Petrie," said Chomper. "We're going to find an Energy Stone up in the trees."

"But which tree?" asked Cera.

"We do know it can't be one in the Great Valley, but that still means there could be thousands of trees to look through," said Littlefoot.

"The clue said, 'found by an exile', so that could only mean that someone else might have already found it," said Takua.

"Someone else?" asked Ducky.

"I do hope that someone else who found that Energy Stone is not Makuta," said Ruby.

"Don't worry, it can't possibly be Makuta," assured Takua. "He's not exiled from anywhere. Although he would definitely become exiled from the universe if Mata Nui ever awoke from his endless sleep."

"So who is this exile?" asked Cera.

"I don't know," replied Littlefoot. "But somehow I've got the feeling that the exile found the Energy Stone, but didn't take it."

"Maybe he did not see anything useful about it." suggested Ducky.

"Regardless, we still need to find that Energy Stone," said Takua. "We do know that we'll find it in the treetops, but it's obvious that most of us aren't good at climbing trees. Perhaps Kongu would be willing to lend us a few Gukko birds for us to ride. That way, we can search from the sky and make it easier for us to find the Energy Stone."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" asked Cera, who was already feeling quite uncomfortable about flying.

Takua shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to ask." Takua then headed for Le-Koro. Somewhat reluctantly, the others followed him.

* * *

Considering how useful the Gukko birds were in fighting off Rahi, the gang wasn't that surprised when they arrived to see fewer Gukko birds than the day they first came here. They were pleased to see Kongu here, as they had hoped. He was busy talking with a Gukko Force pilot. When Kongu noticed the gang approaching, he dismissed the Le-Matoran and turned towards them.

"Kongu, we were wondering if you're willing to lend us a few Gukko birds so that we can find the Energy Stone of Air more easily," said Takua.

"I can't offer such help, fire-spitter and young ones," said Kongu. "Not enough Gukkos available for such a task. Besides, I'd never let you fly them without me keeping a watch-eye on all of you. Piloting Gukkos is not easy."

Cera sighed in frustration and complained, "We'll never be able to find that Energy Stone."

"Perhaps I could be of help-assistance," suggested Kongu.

The gang then heard a crash behind them. They turned around to see Tamaru on the floor nearby. He had been swinging through the trees when he lost his grip on the vine, causing him to fall and hit the wooden floor. Tamaru quickly got up and asked, "What kind of talk-discussion is going on here?"

"We're trying to find help in finding the Energy Stone of Air," replied Ruby.

"Energy Stone? Count me in! Where do we begin?"

"As I was speak-saying," replied Kongu, "I can be of help-assistance. Some way-finders claim to have found the Energy Stone you seek-find. Exact tree is unknown, but approximate area is. We shall ground-walk to a small jungle to the south, then seek-find the Energy Stone up-tree."

"Ground-walk? Why not wind-ride?"

"Not enough Gukkos," replied Petrie.

"Besides, Kongu wouldn't even allow us to fly them," added Cera.

"We have little time to waste," said Kongu. "Follow me and hope that the way-finders were true-speaking." The group followed Kongu as they left Le-Koro and headed south.

* * *

After walking for over an hour, the group was in the Mysterious Beyond and walking through a jungle similar to the one that surrounded Le-Koro. "How are we going to find the Energy Stone?" asked Chomper.

"No thought-plan, yet," replied Kongu. "However, we are now in the right area. The trick now is to seek-find the Energy Stone."

"But the Energy Stone is supposed to be atop a tall tree," said Takua. "How are we going to find it? Most of us can't fly or climb trees, you know."

"Then hard-luck for you, fire-spitter," said Tamaru.

Littlefoot looked at Takua and asked, "Fire-spitter?"

"It's a tree-speak word for a Ta-Matoran," replied Takua. "Usually, it's used by other kinds of Matoran as an insult to Ta-Matoran." Takua then turned to Tamaru. "If I'm the fire-spitter, then why aren't the tree-swingers up in the trees?" he joked.

"Yup, tree-swinger Le-Matoran! That's us!" said Tamaru.

"Yeah, until the vine snaps," commented Cera. "Then you end up face-down on the ground, just like you did earlier today." Everyone couldn't help but laugh at this comment.

Soon after the laughter died down, Kongu suddenly stopped. He then started looking around, as if he was expecting something bad to suddenly appear. The rest of the group soon noticed that Kongu wasn't walking with them, so they turned around to see him quickly looking around.

"What is it, Kongu?" asked Ducky.

Everyone soon heard a faint buzzing noise. Kongu looked back in the direction the group had come from and looked to the sky. He saw a dozen Nui-Rama, large flying insect-like Rahi. For Nui-Rama, this was a small swarm. However, it soon became obvious that the Nui-Rama in this swarm were wearing infected masks.

"Rama swarm!" shouted Kongu, as he quickly took out his throwing disk. Tamaru did likewise. Takua was uncertain at first, but he quickly decided to take out the throwing disk he had.

The swarm was now closing in on them. With great speed and accuracy, Kongu and Tamaru threw their disks and each hit a Nui-Rama, knocking off the infected masks. They quickly retrieved their disks and continued to hit the Nui-Rama in this way.

Takua didn't throw his disk. The Nui-Rama were moving so quickly, he didn't think he would ever get a good shot. He then saw one of them coming directly towards him. Using all of his strength, he threw the disk. The Nui-Rama easily dodged it. The disk flew up to a tree branch, but rather than passing between the leaves, the disk hit someone, who grunted in pain before falling off the branch and falling to the ground. The stranger hit the soft ground and the disk landed nearby.

Kongu noticed this and quickly knocked off the infected masks from the Nui-Rama that Takua had tried to hit. The Nui-Rama flew away, along with the rest of the swarm, which was now without the infected masks.

With the danger passed, Takua rushed to the stranger he had accidentally hit. The stranger was an adult Flyer who had a skin color similar to that of Petrie. "Sorry about that," said Takua, as he put away his throwing disk. "I was trying to hit that Nui-Rama and I didn't see you in that tree."

"That's okay. Accidents happen," replied the Flyer, as he began to stand up. Fortunately, he wasn't seriously injured.

"Wait a minute, I recognize that voice," said Littlefoot.

When the Flyer turned to face the group, some of the gang immediately recognized who he was. It was Pterano, Petrie's uncle.

"Pterano! It you!" exclaimed Petrie, as he flew towards his uncle and hugged him. "Me so glad to see you!"

"Yes, I'm just as happy to see you as well, Petrie," replied Pterano, hugging back his nephew. He soon noticed Takua and the Le-Matoran. He had never seen such creatures before, but seeing them so close to the kids made him think that they wouldn't be any harm. "Who are you?" he asked, looking at Takua.

"I'm Takua and I'm a Matoran, a Ta-Matoran, to be exact," replied Takua.

"A Matoran? Ah yes, I remember hearing about the sudden appearance of such creatures in the Great Valley recently. It's good to know that your kind were welcomed there." Pterano then looked at the two Le-Matoran. "I assume they are also Matoran."

"Yes, they are Le-Matoran. Kongu and Tamaru."

"Pleased to meet you, wind-flyer Pterano," said Tamaru, cheerfully.

"Wind-flyer?" asked Pterano.

"Tree-speak," replied Takua. "It's the way Le-Matoran speak. By the way, Petrie seems to like tree-speak so much that he decided to always speak it."

"Are you sure he knows how to properly speak it?"

"Me know how to talk tree-speak," replied Petrie. "Me great at quick-learning tree-speak."

"I suppose that's true," said Pterano. "Anyway, what brings all of you this far out into the Mysterious Beyond?"

"It's kind of a long story, so I'll try to explain it as quickly as I can," replied Takua. "About a week after the Matoran arrived at the Great Valley, another being arrived from our universe: Makuta, the master of shadows himself. Using infected masks, he was able to control Rahi creatures to constantly attack us. When such attacks began in the Great Valley, we knew Makuta had followed us. We knew that Makuta had to come here for a reason, and we later found the answer. The Energy Stones are the only known way to send Makuta back to the universe he came from, and he's been trying to stop us ever since we started searching for them."

"In that case, I assume you're here to find one of these Energy Stones."

"Yes, we are currently trying to seek-find the Energy Stone of Air," said Kongu. "The clue said that we shall seek-find it atop a tall tree."

"Atop a tall tree? You know, come to think of it, I recall recently seeing a rather strange-looking stone within the top of a tall tree. Perhaps that might be the Energy Stone you are looking for."

Most of the group was uncertain about it. After all, they knew what happened the last time Pterano came across a mysterious stone. How could they be sure that it wouldn't happen again? "Maybe you should let us talk about this first before we decide what to do," said Littlefoot.

Pterano had actually expected a response like this, so he agreed with them. The group then turned away from him so that they could talk without him hearing them.

"Why should we trust him?" asked Cera. "I'm sure we all remember what happened last time."

"I'm sure that even he remembers that as well," replied Littlefoot. "Besides, as far as I can tell, he doesn't have a real reason to have that Energy Stone, if he did find it."

"Remember Ruby's brother? He ran off with the Energy Stone of Ice and tried to give it to Makuta! What if Pterano is trying to do the same thing?"

"If that were true, Makuta would already have the Energy Stone, since Pterano says he has seen it."

"Wait, I just realized something," said Takua. "The second part of the clue said that the Energy Stone was found by an exile. Pterano is an exile, even if only temporarily. I think he actually has found the Energy Stone, and the only way we can find it is to have him take us to it."

"An excellent thought-plan, fire-spitter," commented Kongu.

"Me agree," said Petrie. "Pterano deserves second chance."

The group then turned to face Pterano. Takua decided to explain the plan to Pterano. "We have decided that we need to find that Energy Stone, and the quickest way to find it is if you take us to it. That is, if you really have found it."

"I have indeed found an unusual stone," said Pterano, "but having not seen anything that could tell me that it's an Energy Stone, I have no way of knowing if it is the Energy Stone you are searching for. I know what you are thinking, and no, I don't wish to keep it for myself as I have no reason to do so. Besides, even if I wanted it I still wouldn't have it, as it is stuck inside that tree in such a way that I can't even reach it."

"Good enough for me," said Takua. "Lead the way, Pterano."

Pterano then flew into the air and said, "Follow me and I shall take you directly to the tall tree with the stone in it." He then began flying in the direction he knew to go, making sure to go slow enough so that the rest of the group could easily keep up.

As the group followed Pterano, Cera asked Takua, "Are you sure about this?"

"Not exactly, but it could be our only hope of finding the Energy Stone," replied Takua.

The group continued to follow Pterano, hoping that he would lead them to the Energy Stone of Air.


	36. Crossing the Ravine

**Chapter 35**

**Crossing the Ravine**

The group continued to follow Pterano through the jungle as he led them to the Energy Stone. At least, that's what everyone was hoping he was doing.

"How much further do we have to go?" asked Cera.

"We should be getting close soon," replied Pterano.

"Remember, we can't fly, so don't assume we can cross a mountain or a cliff without any problems," said Takua.

"In that case, we have a problem and it's just ahead of us."

A few seconds later, the group reached the edge of a steep rocky cliff. There was another cliff ahead of them, which meant that they were on one side of a huge ravine. The distance between the two sides was over twenty meters, and the bottom seemed like it was well over a hundred meters down. Chomper grabbed a small rock and tossed it off the edge of the cliff. The silence proved what a long fall it would be if they couldn't safely cross.

"Is there a way around this?" asked Littlefoot.

"There is, but it would take more than a day to reach the other side," replied Pterano.

"We don't have that much time," said Takua. "Looks like the only way to the other side is to cross this ravine right here."

"How are we going to do that?" asked Littlefoot.

"Too bad there isn't a rope bridge here," thought Takua aloud. "We would be able to just walk across without any problems."

"I may not know what a rope bridge is, but I'm guessing there's a lot of them on Mata Nui, where you come from," said Ruby. "This is the dinosaur universe, so there won't be any rope bridges here."

"Then how are we going to get across?" asked Chomper.

"Happy-plan, I have!" replied Tamaru, cheerfully. Everyone looked up and saw him sitting on a tree branch with a few vines in his hands. "By knot-tieing many vines together, I create extra-long vine. We shall knot-tie one end to this tree and knot-tie the other end to a tree on the other side, then we quick-cross and become one step closer to seek-finding the Energy Stone."

"That's a great plan," said Littlefoot. "But there's a problem. How are we going to tie the other end of the vine to the other side?"

"Simple, wind-flyer Pterano shall carry the vine across and knot-tie the other end to the other side."

"That does sound like a good idea, but I'm afraid I don't know how to 'knot-tie'," said Pterano.

"No worry-problem. Let me quick-teach you how to knot-tie."

After tieing together all the vines he held, Tamaru showed Pterano how to tie a vine to a tree branch by tieing one end of the extra-long vine to the branch he sat on. Once he understood how to tie a vine to a tree branch, Pterano grabbed the untied end of the extra-long vine and flew to the other side of the ravine. When he reached the other side, he landed on a large tree branch, pulled the vine tightly and tied his end to the branch he was on. Pterano decided to make sure the vine wouldn't snap or become untied, so he flew to the middle of the vine and landed on it. He then repeatedly shifted his weight to move the vine up and down as much as he could. If the vine could resist this much tension, it would be able to handle the weight of anyone who climbed across on it. He then flew back to the group to confirm that the vine was now safe enough to cross on.

Everyone wanted to ask the same question, but only Kongu was brave enough to say it. "Who wants to go first?"

Nearly everyone in the group quickly refused. "No need to worry, young ones," assured Pterano. "I assure you that all of you can safely cross on this vine, as long as you go one at a time and don't let go."

"But who will be going first?" asked Ducky.

"Somebody does have to go first because if nobody goes first then nobody will go at all," said Ruby.

"Well if anybody is going first, it definitely won't be me," said Cera.

Right after Cera said this, Takua and Kongu surrounded her. Takua grabbed her front legs and Kongu grabbed her rear legs. "Ready, Kongu?" asked Takua. Kongu nodded.

"What are you- Hey!" exclaimed Cera, as she was suddenly lifted up to the vine. She knew they would not let her down, so she had no choice but to grab the vine.

"Just quick-cross to the other side and the rest of us shall quick-follow," said Kongu.

Having no other options, Cera knew that she would have to cross the ravine first. She decided that she might as well do it without fear, so she began crawling along the top of the vine.

As Cera was crossing, Takua noticed how scared Ducky and Chomper looked as they looked down into the deep ravine. A thought then occurred to him. "Pterano, do you think you could carry these two across instead of having them climb across on the vine?" he asked.

Pterano looked at the two Takua was referring to. He easily recognized Ducky, but he never even noticed the other one until just now. It was now that he realized that Chomper was a Sharptooth. He cautiously looked at Chomper and asked, "How will I know that you won't try to bite me while I'm carrying you across?"

"Please, if I tried to do that, we would both fall and die," replied Chomper. "Besides, these are my friends here, and you don't see me biting them."

Pterano had to admit that was true. After all, Ducky was standing right next to Chomper, and she wasn't running. Convinced, Pterano flew to the two of them. They each grabbed onto one of his legs, then were carried across as Pterano flew to the other side. Being an adult, the extra weight was hardly noticeable to him. Petrie followed closely behind his uncle. They reached the other side at the same time Cera did.

Once Cera reached the other side, everyone else followed one at a time. Next was Spike, then Littlefoot, then Ruby, then Kongu. Takua was about to start crossing when he heard the all-too-familiar sound of roaring Fast-Biters.

"Fast-Biters!" shouted Takua. He then quickly grabbed the vine and began to quickly climb across. He looked back and noticed Tamaru was not yet on the vine. "Hurry, Tamaru!"

"Be right there, fire-spitter!" responded Tamaru as he climbed the tree the vine was tied to. He then began to untie the vine. He was worried that if he didn't get rid of this vine, the coming Fast-Biters might also climb across. He planned to untie the vine, then swing on it to the other side, leaving the Fast-Biters stranded on this side of the ravine.

Tamaru was still struggling to untie the vine when Takua reached the other side. Takua looked back just in time to see the Fast-Biters, Screech and Thud, emerge from within the jungle. "Do those guys ever give up?" grumbled Takua.

Tamaru saw the Fast-Biters. He didn't panic because he had just finished untying the vine. He held the vine and stood up on the tree branch. He waved to the Fast-Biters and exclaimed, "Bye bye, stink-breath Fast-Biters!" He then leaped off the tree branch and swung towards the other side. However, he soon realized that, since the other end of the vine was tied to a branch on the other side instead of in the middle, he wouldn't land on the other side. Holding onto the vine as tightly as he could, he slammed into the rocky cliff.

Everyone heard the impact. They looked down to see Tamaru, who was clearly dazed from the impact, still holing onto the vine. When Tamaru looked up and saw the group looking at him, he weakly said, "Ouch, that was hurt-painful."

Takua sighed and said, "Hang on, Tamaru, we'll pull you up." Everyone then began pulling the vine upwards, which caused Tamaru to be pulled up the side of the cliff. When he finally reached the top, he laid down on the ground, still aching from the impact.

"Are you alright, Tamaru?" asked Ducky.

"Yeah... wasn't much of a thought-plan, though," replied Tamaru.

"I'll say," commented Cera.

Everyone quickly turned their attention to the side they came from when the two Fast-Biters roared in frustration and ran back into the jungle.

"Come, we must quick-leave before the Fast-Biters find a ground-path to this side," said Kongu.

"Kongu is right, we better keep going," said Takua. "Which way now, Pterano?"

"We are now very close," replied Pterano. "Just follow me." He then flew into the air and headed away from the ravine. Again, the group followed him.

A few minutes later, Pterano began to fly in circles. "I know I found it here somewhere, but I can't remember exactly which tree it was in," he called to the group, far below. He searched through every tree that he would consider tall. He then landed on one of the high branches of one of the tallest trees in the area and when he looked up, he saw exactly what he remembered finding. Just above his head, there was a hole in the trunk of the tree. He flew up a little to see what was inside the hole. The back of the hole appeared to be at the center of the tree, and all the way back there was a strange glowing stone. "I found it! It's in here!"

"Me get it!" exclaimed Petrie as he flew up to where Pterano was. As soon as he reached the same tree branch, he saw inside that tree a stone shaped like the other Energy Stones and was glowing a light green color. "Pterano right! He find Energy Stone of Air!"

"Well what are you waiting for? Get it!" exclaimed Cera.

Pterano had been right in saying that he couldn't reach it. The hole was out of reach from the branch he had stood on, and he wouldn't dare try to reach into the tree while flying. Fortunately, Petrie was so small that he could actually walk into that hole to get the Energy Stone. He flew into the hole in the tree and grabbed the Energy Stone. He struggled for a few seconds to get it out. Eventually, the Energy Stone came loose, causing him to fall over backwards. Due to his small size, Petrie had to use both of his hands to carry the Energy Stone. He walked to the edge of the tree and looked down. "Uh, me not so sure if me can quick-fly down with this!" he called to his friends below.

It was immediately clear to everyone that this was because of Petrie's small size. "Wait there, Petrie. I'm coming up-tree." called Kongu. He then began to climb up the tree. He climbed so quickly, most of the group couldn't believe it.

In almost no time at all, Kongu reached the hole in the tree where Petrie was waiting. Having climbed trees before, he didn't need to stand on a branch to stay on a tree, so he was able to grab the Energy Stone from Petrie. As soon as he grabbed the Energy Stone, he could only use one hand, along with his feet, to hold onto the tree. He suddenly lost his grip on the tree, causing him to lose his balance and fall off.

Fortunately, Kongu knew how to handle a situation like this. He continuously grabbed and swung on the branches of the tree, which slowed his fall to a safe, but still fast speed. He safely hit the ground on both feet without any injury. He held up the Energy Stone and said, "See? No worry-problem."

As Petrie and Pterano flew back down, Takua said, "Alright, now that we have the Energy Stone, we should head back to the Great Valley."

"Follow me," said Kongu. "Thanks to maps provided by way-finders a few days ago, I know a quicker ground-path back to the valley from here. Most of the ground-path is bald-land, but that shouldn't be much of a worry-problem."

"Wait a minute, if you're so sure about an easier way to get from here to the Great Valley, why didn't you have us go that way to get here in the first place?" asked Cera.

"We were all late-knowing of the Energy Stone's true location," replied Kongu.

"In other words, none of us had any idea at the time that the Energy Stone would be in this particular location," said Takua, making sure that everyone understood what Kongu had said.

"I hope you don't mind me staying with you until we reach the valley," said Pterano. "I'd just like to get better acquainted with all of you while I have the chance."

The group agreed to let Pterano continue with them, since he had proven his trust by originally finding the Energy Stone. Everyone followed Kongu as he led them on the quickest route back to the Great Valley.


	37. Leaf Running

**Chapter 36**

**Leaf-Running**

As the group was heading back to the Great Valley, Takua and the gang decided to tell Pterano about their search for the Energy Stones so far. Pterano was quite amazed about what they had to say. Not even he would have imagined that such stories could ever be true.

The group was now approaching the edge of the jungle. Some of the gang were pleased that they would now walk across open ground instead of through the jungle for the rest of the trip. However, as soon as they entered the open ground, they were shocked to see Redclaw standing nearby. He quickly noticed them and began to chase after them.

The group ran back into the jungle, hoping that it would be more difficult for Redclaw to chase them. However, he was such a big Sharptooth that he simply shoved aside every tree that was in his way.

The group managed to temporarily lose him by hiding behind a large tree. "I must agree with your beliefs, Takua," said Pterano, quietly. "If he is chasing you around this much, he must be working for Makuta."

"But how are we going to get rid of him this time?" asked Cera.

Takua then noticed Tamaru climbing the tree they were hiding behind. "What are you doing?" asked Takua.

"He can't catch us if we're up-tree," Tamaru simply replied.

This gave Kongu an idea. "Good thinking, Tamaru," he said. "Takua, take the others to safety. Tamaru and I shall distract Redclaw until he is lost-wandering. Then we shall rejoin you in the bald-land. Here, hold the Energy Stone while I'm up-tree." Kongu then tossed the Energy Stone to Takua and began to climb the tree.

"Remind me again, what does he mean by 'bald-land'?" asked Pterano.

"He means open ground, land outside the jungle," replied Littlefoot.

Pterano then turned to Takua. "I trust that you can get the young ones to safety. I shall be following the Le-Matoran, just in case if they might need my help." He then flew upwards until he was above the trees. At least he was still capable of seeing the upper branches of the trees, where the Le-Matoran would likely be.

Once the two Le-Matoran were up in the higher branches, Tamaru started by grabbing a piece of fruit and throwing it at Redclaw, hitting him in the face. "Come get us, stink-breath Sharptooth!" shouted Tamaru. He then grabbed a vine and swung to another tree nearby.

Kongu then leaped across the branches to join Tamaru on the same tree. "Come get us, ugly!" taunted Kongu to Redclaw.

Redclaw responded by shoving down the tree they stood on. The Le-Matoran were quick to react and leaped to the next tree. He continued to try to push them out of the trees, but they were always faster than him.

As Pterano followed the Le-Matoran, Takua had put the Energy Stone in his backpack and led the gang out of the jungle. They decided to run along the edge of the jungle so that the Le-Matoran and Pterano could find them more quickly once they lost Redclaw.

Redclaw continued to topple over the trees that the Le-Matoran leaped onto. Kongu and Tamaru landed on the next tree. "Slow-think Sharptooth! You can't catch Le-Matoran!" taunted Kongu.

"Old-bone! Bog-foot! Yaaahhh!" taunted Tamaru.

Although he didn't understand what they said, Redclaw was clearly enraged by this. He rammed his head against the tree, causing it to quickly topple over. However, it wasn't quick enough to keep the Le-Matoran out of the tree tops.

Pterano continued to follow the Le-Matoran as quickly as he could. He was surprised by how easily they were able to outrun Redclaw by just swinging through the trees. Perhaps even more surprising for him was that they were swinging through the trees so fast, he was actually having trouble keeping up with them, and he was flying. It was hard to believe, but he was seeing it right now.

Meanwhile, Takua and the gang continued to run along the edge of the jungle. They could hear the trees falling over, but most of them had no idea if the Le-Matoran would be alright.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" asked Chomper.

"I'm very sure of it," replied Takua. "Unless the noise of the trees falling over suddenly stops, we won't have anything to worry about." Suddenly, the two Fast-Biters, Screech and Thud, jumped out of the jungle and stood right in front of the group, who quickly stopped. "Except for that. Back into the jungle!" The group then ran back into the jungle as the Fast-Biters quickly followed them.

They ran deeper into the jungle, hoping that the dense vegetation would slow down the Fast-Biters. Littlefoot then tripped on a rock and fell over. The Fast-Biters were so close behind that he knew he wouldn't have enough time to get up and continue running.

Takua quickly noticed this and knew that he had to do something. He picked up a large rock, raised it over his head and threw it at the Fast-Biters. It hit Thud in the chest, taking him down for the moment. This caused Screech to hesitate for only a second, but it was enough to allow Littlefoot to escape.

Takua turned around and saw a low branch. He decided to use this to take out Screech, who now resumed his chase. Takua ran to the other side of the branch, pulled it back as far as he could, then let it go. The branch smacked into Screech, flipping him onto his back and taking him down for the moment.

Takua then called to the gang to follow him back out of the jungle. Having no other choice, they followed him. They soon reached the open ground and continued to run along the edge of the jungle, this time staying a little further away.

Meanwhile, the Le-Matoran continued leaping and swinging through the trees. Pterano soon began to notice that the noise of the falling trees were becoming fainter. He looked back and noticed that Redclaw was now so far behind them that he wasn't following them in the exact direction they were going. Pterano called for the Le-Matoran to stop.

The Le-Matoran stopped at one of the trees. They listened to the faint noise and quickly determined what was now happening. "Redclaw is now lost-wandering," said Tamaru, cheerfully.

Kongu nodded in agreement. "Now let's quick-find the others and help them get back to the Great Valley," he said. They then changed direction and headed for the open ground nearby.

Takua and the gang soon decided to stop and rest for a minute. They felt sure that the Fast-Biters, once they got up, wouldn't be able to find them by now. However, they soon heard a rustling noise in the bushes at the edge of the jungle. To their surprise, the two Fast-Biters jumped out of the jungle and prepared to attack them.

Suddenly, two throwing disks flew out of the jungle. Each hit a Fast-Biter on the back of the head, knocking them both out. The two Le-Matoran then leaped out of the jungle, soon followed by Pterano. The Le-Matoran grabbed their disks and rejoined the group.

"Redclaw is now lost-wandering in the jungle," said Kongu. "We must quick-leave before he finds a way out, or these Fast-Biters awaken." Everyone agreed with him and followed him as he led them back to the Great Valley.

* * *

The group now stood at the edge of the Great Valley. Pterano could not continue with the group, since his time of banishment had not yet come to an end. This would be where he would say goodbye to them.

"Well, this is where we must go our separate ways," said Pterano. "It was nice traveling with you today and it was also nice to actually meet Matoran."

"It was nice meeting you as well, Pterano," said Takua. "We're hoping that the Energy Stones will somehow allow us to return to Mata Nui, so I guess this will be the only time you will ever meet any Matoran."

"If that is true, then at least I'm very grateful that I got the chance to personally see you. Not even I would have been able to believe stories of such creatures like Matoran, if I had not actually met one of them."

"At least my friends will still be in the Great Valley by the time you'll be allowed back."

After many goodbyes, and an especially long one from Petrie, the group was ready to head back into the valley. "Goodbye, wind-flyer Pterano," said Tamaru as he turned around and began heading into the valley, only to trip on a rock and fall over.

"How ridiculous," commented Pterano. "You can swing through the trees faster than I can fly, and yet, you can't even avoid tripping over a small rock." Everyone couldn't help but laugh at this comment.

The group soon began heading back into the valley, while Pterano flew into the sky and away from the valley to continue his temporary life in exile. _Tree-speak, what a language_, thought Pterano with annoyance. _I'll never speak it, even if my own nephew demanded it_.

Back inside the Great Valley, Takua gave the Energy Stone back to Kongu and told him to give it to Turaga Matau, who would keep it safe. Kongu accepted it and headed back to Le-Koro with Tamaru.

It was already evening by the time the gang returned home. They spent the rest of the evening telling the dinosaurs of the Great Valley about their search for the Energy Stones so far. With the Energy Stone of Air found, only two more Energy Stones remained to be found. The gang hoped that they would be able to find those Energy Stones before Makuta could.


	38. Rough Water

**Chapter 37**

**Rough Water**

The next morning, the gang gathered at Kini-Nui and stood near the tablet to find the clue to the next Energy Stone. "Alright, we've found four Energy Stones so far," said Takua. "I guess that means we have two more left to find. Who wants to reveal the next clue?"

"I think I should do it," replied Ducky. "It might be an Energy Stone that is easier to find. It might, it might." Takua then helped her up to the tablet. As soon as she touched the tablet, another single row of letters appeared just below the previously revealed clues.

Takua put Ducky back on the ground and read the clue. The symbol on the left was three wavy lines that were aligned horizontally. "To find the Energy Stone of Water, we must seek 'under the falling water on a familiar island'," said Takua.

The gang thought about the clue for a moment. "If the Energy Stone is under falling water, that could mean it's under a waterfall," said Ruby.

"That makes sense to me," said Littlefoot. Everyone else agreed.

"But what about the 'familiar island'?" asked Takua. "Have any of you been on any islands?"

"The only one I can think of is the one I used to live on with my mom and dad," replied Chomper. "I also think there was a waterfall on that island, but only one."

"Alright, our best hope of finding this Energy Stone will be on that island Chomper used to live on. Which way do we go, Chomper?"

"Uh, I'm not sure about that," said Littlefoot.

"Yeah, me want to keep far-distance from big-water," said Petrie.

"Besides, we don't even have a way of getting there," said Cera.

Takua chuckled and said, "That's what you think. That's because you never had something that us Matoran have: boats. All we have to do is borrow one from a Ga-Matoran."

"I guess this means we will need to go to Ga-Koro before we leave," said Littlefoot. Everyone agreed on this and headed for Ga-Koro.

* * *

When the gang arrived at the shipyard in Ga-Koro, they saw both Maku and Kotu working on one of the large boats that was currently docked. Takua walked up to them and said, "Hey, we're about to start our search for the Energy Stone of Water, but we think it's on an island. We were wondering if we could borrow a boat so that we could reach that island."

"Of course you can," replied Maku. "We've actually been anticipating that you would come here and ask for a boat. This boat we're working on here is just large enough for all of us to ride in and can handle even the worst seas there are. Just give us a few minutes to finish fixing a few things here and we'll be ready to take you to that island."

The gang accepted this and were willing to wait. They were glad to actually have a boat that they could all fit in. They were also glad that both Maku and Kotu were willing to help them.

However, Ruby thought that one more Ga-Matoran should come with them as well. It had been a while since she helped Hahli with her daily chores, but she felt that Hahli should be offered a chance to give her and her friends some help.

After searching for about a minute, Ruby found Hahli repairing a net. Ruby walked up to her and said, "Hello, Hahli. Hahli, hello. My friends and I are about to begin looking for the Energy Stone of Water and I was wondering if you would like to come with us and help us find it."

Hahli felt uncertain about it. "I'm not sure," she said. "I've almost never been outside of Ga-Koro before."

"You don't have to come with us if you don't want to. I was just wondering if you wanted to come and help us. We will be leaving soon, so I guess I should get back to the boat now." Ruby then turned around and headed back to the shipyard, leaving Hahli to think about what she wanted to do.

A few minutes later, the boat was ready to go. Everyone soon got in the boat. They were about to leave when they saw Hahli running towards them. "Wait!" she shouted. She than came to a stop at the edge of the dock next to the boat. "I want to come with you."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Maku.

"It was actually Ruby's idea, but yes, I really do want to come with you," replied Hahli.

"Then get in. I'm sure we have room for one more," said Takua.

Hahli then climbed into the boat with the others. Maku, Kotu, and Hahli each grabbed a paddle and began to paddle the boat out of the shipyard. They then paddled the boat to the end of the lake where it became a river that flowed downstream. This would be the direction they would go in to reach the ocean, where they would find the island where the Energy Stone would be hidden.

* * *

It wasn't long before the boat was outside of the Great Valley. The Ga-Matoran assured the kids that they would arrive at their destination in much less than a day, since traveling by boat was often much faster than walking.

Maku had heard that the island they were going to was the one where Chomper used to live. Although she knew that he used to live there, she didn't know how he managed to get off that island, since dinosaurs don't have anything like boats. "Hey Chomper, I was wondering, how did you get off that island you used to live on?" asked Maku.

Chomper was about to reply, but he was unable to say anything before everyone heard the roar of a Fast-Biter. They looked up to see the Fast-Biters Screech and Thud standing at the edge of the cliff near the river. They looked like they were going to jump into the boat at any time.

"Those guys never seem to give up," grumbled Takua.

Sure enough, the Fast-Biters leaped off the cliff and landed right in the middle of the boat. The gang was trapped on the front of the boat while the Ga-Matoran were on the back of the boat.

The Fast-Biters then slowly moved towards the gang. Suddenly, Screech felt something smack the side of his face hard. About a second later, Thud felt the same kind of smack. They looked back to see that Maku had taken her paddle out of the water and was now using it as a weapon.

"Get off this boat you horrible creatures!" exclaimed Maku. She then smacked each of them in the face with her paddle again. The Fast-Biters then decided to come after her. Maku moved fast and, one after the other, used her paddle to smack them over the side of the boat and into the river.

Once the Fast-Biters were overboard, the Ga-Matoran moved as quickly as they could to paddle the boat further away so the Fast-Biters wouldn't be able to get back in the boat again. By the time the Fast-Biters had resurfaced, the boat was already too far away for them to reach, so they had no choice but to swim back to the shore.

After moving downstream a little further, the Ga-Matoran slowed their paddling to the speed they were at before the Fast-Biters attacked. "I can see why those creatures have been such a problem for you this whole time," said Maku.

"At least they are not as scary as Redclaw," said Ducky.

"Yeah, I wonder if Redclaw ever made it out of that jungle we got him lost in yesterday," said Chomper.

The boat came around a bend in the river and, sure enough, they saw Redclaw standing on the shore, ready to snatch the boat and stop the gang for good. "You just had to say that, didn't you?" said Cera.

The Ga-Matoran immediately began to paddle faster. Redclaw quickly lowered his head and tried to grab the boat with his powerful jaws. However, the boat had moved just out of reach and his head hitting the water caused a wave that sent the boat even further away from him. He roared in frustration as soon as he noticed this.

The boat rushed downstream. As soon as the effects of the wave were almost gone, everyone in the boat saw something they didn't want to see: rapids in the river.

This was nothing new to Maku and Kotu. They had ridden boats through rough water like this before, so they were capable of preventing serious damage to the boat. They tried their best to avoid the rocks and even use the rapids to their advantage so they could head downstream faster.

Despite their best efforts, the boat still hit a few rocks. Almost everyone was greatly disturbed by the sudden impacts of the boat hitting each rock. As the boat hit another rock, Ducky lost her balance and fell off of Spike's back and over the side of the boat. Takua saw this and reacted quickly. He jumped onto the side of the boat and grabbed Ducky's tail before she could hit the water. Takua then struggled to avoid going overboard himself. The boat hit another rock on the other side, causing Takua and Ducky to be thrown back into the boat.

The water was now getting so rough that Cera started to feel queasy. The boat hit another rock and a crack was heard. This was a clear sign that the boat was starting to take some damage. The gang was now starting to worry if the boat would even stay afloat after all these impacts.

To everyone's relief, the rapids soon disappeared. The damage done to the boat was hardly noticeable. "That sure was some rough water. Rough water that was," said Ruby.

"Yeah, I'm just glad it's over," said Cera, who was definitely relieved that it was over.

After waiting a minute for everyone to clam down, Takua asked, "How much further until we reach the ocean?"

"It can't be too far ahead," replied Kotu. "I already hear the ocean waves from here."

Indeed, she was right. They could hear the sounds of ocean waves lapping against the shore. After a few more minutes, they reached the point where the river entered the sea. Now they had to reach the island. "Which way do we go, left or right?" asked Takua.

Chomper remembered this river, and he also knew which direction they would find the island they were trying to reach. "Right," replied Chomper

The Ga-Matoran turned the boat right and continued paddling. Everyone hoped that they would soon reach the island and that there wouldn't be anything dangerous in this ocean.


	39. The Dangerous Sea

**Chapter 38**

**The Dangerous Sea**

The group had been riding the boat northwards along the coast for almost an hour now. They were hoping that they were going in the right direction, but the island they were looking for was still not in sight.

"How much further do we have to go?" asked Littlefoot.

"Be patient, Littlefoot," replied Maku. "We don't have any maps of this area, so we have no idea how much further we will have to go."

Meanwhile, Cera was feeling very nauseous. She was leaning against the side of the boat with her head over the side. "I don't feel so good," moaned Cera.

"Why didn't you tell us that you get seasick?" asked Hahli.

"I didn't think it would be such a problem."

"Well, at least it won't become a problem as long as you don't lose your lunch, then it will become a problem," said Ruby.

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Takua. He didn't have his backpack on, since there was no need to do so while riding in a boat.

Ruby nodded. "It attracts Swimming Sharpteeth." Ruby had spent most of her life in the Mysterious Beyond, so everyone knew that she was very likely telling the truth.

Petrie jumped and exclaimed, "Swimming Sharpteeth!?" He then huddled down where he sat and nervously said, "Me hope we quick-reach island soon."

About a minute later, Takua was looking over the side of the boat when he saw a shadow move across the water. It then moved under the boat. "Did you see that?" asked Takua.

"See what?" asked Kotu.

"I saw something swimming around. It just went under the boat."

"Swimming Sharptooth?" asked Petrie.

Suddenly, on the other side of the boat from where Takua was, a large creature emerged from the water. It was a big lizard-like creature with powerful forearms. "Worse, Tarakava!" exclaimed Maku. The Tarakava was also wearing an infected mask.

The Tarakava roared and thrust its powerful forearms at them, hitting Takua and Ruby with enough force to throw them off the boat. It also tried to hit Maku, but she easily managed to jump out of the way. The Tarakava then plunged back beneath the waves.

Takua and Ruby hit the water. Ruby quickly resurfaced and began calling for help. Kotu dropped her paddle and jumped into the water. "I'm coming!" she shouted. She quickly swam towards Ruby.

Takua had hit the water with enough force to cause his mask to come off, and it was now sinking. He swam as fast as he could to try to reach it before he had to resurface. He finally managed to grab it and put it back on, without a second to spare. He quickly resurfaced and waved to the boat. "I'm okay!" he shouted. Suddenly, the Tarakava struck him in the back, sending him flying over the boat and back into the water.

Kotu reached Ruby and had her hold onto her back as she swam back to the boat. They had no idea where the Tarakava was, so Kotu swam as fast as she possibly could. Once they were near the boat, Maku held her paddle to them so they could safely climb back onto the boat.

Ruby was now safe, but no one knew what happened to Takua. Littlefoot looked over the side of the boat, but he saw no sign of Takua. "Takua! Where are you!?" shouted Littlefoot.

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud thump on the bottom of the boat and the boat suddenly rocked back and forth as if it had been hit by something. The movement of the boat was so much that Cera almost lost her lunch, but she managed to hold it down.

About a second later, Takua resurfaced. After taking a breath, he grunted in pain and held his head. Everyone called him to quickly come back to the boat. "Don't worry, that Tarakava won't attack us again. I took care of it," said Takua as he tossed the Tarakava's infected mask onto the boat.

"You actually took off that Tarakava's mask?" asked Hahli.

Takua simply nodded.

"Don't you think it would have been a better idea to just get back in the boat?" asked Littlefoot.

"Actually, that wouldn't have been a good idea. We're out in the ocean, far from the coast. I knew that Tarakava would continue to attack us unless if we stopped him, so I did just that."

Maku held her paddle out to Takua, who used it to get back onto the boat. As soon as he was back on the boat, Takua held his head as if he had hit something with it. "Take my advice when you're swimming underwater, don't resurface near a boat," said Takua.

"Did you hit your head on the bottom of the boat?" asked Ducky.

Takua nodded.

"That would explain why the boat suddenly rocked a bit," said Littlefoot.

"Guys, look! I see the island up ahead!" exclaimed Chomper.

Everyone quickly turned to look in the direction Chomper was pointing. Sure enough, they saw an island on the horizon that was near the coast. Most of the gang also recognized the shape of this island. This was indeed the island they were looking for.

"It is the island we are looking for! It is, it is!" exclaimed Ducky.

"Alright, let's get going," said Maku. The three Ga-Matoran then began to quickly paddle the boat towards the island.

A few minutes later, they reached the island. Most of the group helped pull the boat ashore so that it wouldn't float away.

Cera didn't feel good at all. Her seasickness was still affecting her a lot. Kotu decided to stay behind with Cera so she could take care of her. Maku also decided to stay behind so that she could take a good look at the boat to make sure it wasn't damaged too much after having been through the rapids and the Tarakava attack.

Takua, Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike, Petrie, Chomper, Ruby, and Hahli headed inland to find the Energy Stone. Chomper led the group, since he was the only one who knew for sure where the only waterfall on this island was. After all that had happened so far, everyone hoped that they wouldn't face any more dangers.


	40. Return to the Island

**Chapter 39**

**Return to the Island**

Chomper continued to lead the group across the island to where he believed was the only waterfall on this island, which was where the Energy Stone would hopefully be.

"How much further do we have to go?" asked Takua. "I think we've already walked across half of this island by now."

"Don't worry, it's not that far now," replied Chomper.

"You sure you not lost-wandering?" asked Petrie.

"Petrie, I lived on this island for nearly a year. I think I know my way to any place on this island by now."

"I think you might be right, Chomper," said Hahli. "I'm beginning to hear rushing water."

Everyone stopped for a minute and listened. The noise was faint, but it was indeed rushing water.

"Could that be the waterfall?" asked Ducky.

"Only one way to find out," replied Littlefoot. He then headed in the direction where they were hearing the rushing water. Everyone else decided to follow.

As they walked, the noise of the rushing water grew louder. Finally, they came out of the dense forest and saw a small river that was fed by a waterfall. The waterfall wasn't as big as the Thundering Falls in the Great Valley, but it was still large enough to be considered a magnificent sight.

"It is very beautiful, very beautiful it is," said Ruby.

"See? I told you there was a waterfall here," said Chomper.

"Okay, now that we're here, where do we look to find the Energy Stone?" asked Littlefoot.

"The clue said that it's under that waterfall, so I guess that means someone will need to dive under the water to find it," answered Takua.

"I will go," said Ducky. "I am a swimmer, so I am very good at swimming. Yep, yep, yep. I will find the Energy Stone and I will bring it here. I will, I will." She then jumped into the water and dove beneath the surface.

Ducky looked in the direction of the waterfall and saw an underwater cave. It was small, but still very large compared to her. She swam towards the cave and as soon as she entered it, she saw a bluish glow in the water. She swam further into the cave and saw that at the end of it was a stone that was partially embedded into the cave wall and glowed a medium blue color. She realized that this was the Energy Stone of Water.

Ducky grabbed the stone and tried to pull it out from the wall of the cave. However, this proved to be very difficult. She quickly gave up because she needed to resurface for air. She quickly swam out of the cave and resurfaced near the waterfall.

"You find it?" asked Petrie.

"I found the Energy Stone! I did, I did!" replied Ducky. "But it is stuck. I will need to try again to get it out." She then took a deep breath and dove back underwater.

Ducky swam back into the underwater cave. Now that she knew where to go and had taken a deep breath, she was more prepared this time to retrieve the Energy Stone. She found the Energy Stone and tried to pull it out again. Again, this proved to be very difficult, but she eventually succeeded. The sudden release of the Energy Stone had caused her to not only drop it, but also accidentally let out the air in her lungs. As a result, she had not choice but to resurface again. She swam out of the cave and resurfaced near the waterfall again.

"Where's the Energy Stone?" asked Littlefoot.

"I did get the Energy Stone unstuck. I did, I did," replied Ducky. "But I dropped it and had to take another breath. This time, I will get the Energy Stone. I will, I will." She then took another deep breath and dove back underwater.

Ducky swam back into the cave and saw the Energy Stone at the bottom of it. She swam down and grabbed it, but then she immediately ran into a problem. Compared to her, the Energy Stone was rather big, so she had to hold onto it with both hands. Now that she couldn't use her arms, her ability to swim was greatly reduced. She tried swimming with just her legs, but it felt rather awkward. This was mostly because the large-to-her Energy Stone kept getting in the way. She then noticed that she was still near the bottom of the cave, so she decided to carry the Energy Stone to shore by walking along the bottom instead of swimming. She only made it a few steps before she realized that she absolutely had to take another breath. Reluctantly, she dropped the Energy Stone and swam out of the cave and resurfaced near the waterfall again.

"Why do you still not have that Energy Stone?" asked Chomper, who was starting to get a little impatient.

"It is too big for me," replied Ducky. "I can not swim with it. No, no, no."

"I was afraid that you might be too little to get it," said Takua. "I guess one of us will need to go down there with you so that we can get that Energy Stone."

"I'll go," said Hahli, before jumping into the water, but not yet diving under the surface.

"Are you sure?" asked Takua. After all, this was the kind of thing Takua would always do, while Hahli had never done such reckless things before.

"I'm a Ga-Matoran. We're also excellent swimmers," replied Hahli. "Besides, I didn't choose to come with you just because Ruby asked me to." She then dove beneath the surface.

Ducky then dove beneath the surface and led Hahli to the underwater cave and to the Energy Stone. When they reached it, Hahli picked up the stone from the bottom of the cave. They then swam back out of the cave and resurfaced. Hahli then tossed the Energy Stone to Takua before she and Ducky came ashore.

"Alright! We have the Energy Stone," said Takua as he put the Energy Stone in his backpack. "Now let's get back to the boat so we can get back to the Great Valley."

"It's getting late," said Hahli. "We may have to spend the night here on this island."

"In that case, we will just have to spend the night near the boat." The group then headed back the way they came to get back to the boat.

* * *

Night had already fallen by the time the group arrived at the boat. They were quite pleased to see Cera walking around.

"How are you feeling, Cera?" asked Littlefoot.

"Much better, thanks to Kotu," replied Cera.

"She just needed some rest on land, that's all," said Kotu.

Hahli then walked up to Maku and asked, "How's the boat?"

"It's actually not as bad as we had feared," replied Maku. "I hardly see any damage at all on this boat. That means we can safely return home right now."

"We'll leave tomorrow. It's too dark right now," said Hahli.

Maku nodded her head in agreement.

Everyone soon chose a spot for each of them to sleep in. Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper, Maku, and Kotu decided to sleep inside the boat, just to be safe. Cera thought it was too crowded inside the boat to sleep in it, so she decided to sleep on the beach near the boat. Not far from her, Takua and Littlefoot decided to sleep near each other, like they always did in the Great Valley.

Nearby, Ruby decided to sleep near Hahli, but before going to sleep, she wanted to ask her a question. "Hahli?" asked Ruby. "When you went to get that Energy Stone earlier today, you said that me asking you to come with us was not the only reason you decided to come with us. What was the other reason?"

Hahli sighed. "I guess I just wanted to see what it was like to be outside the village," she replied. "I've always had thoughts of leaving the village to see other places, but I guess I was too shy to tell anyone about it."

Ruby thought about this for a moment. "Well, at least now you got to see what it was like. If you want to, you could help us find the rest of the Energy Stones. That is, if you like going on adventures, now that you know what going on an adventure is like."

"Thanks, but I think one adventure is enough for me. I think I'll continue my duties in Ga-Koro for a few days before I decide to try to find another one." Hahli then laid down on the sandy beach. "Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Hahli." Ruby then yawned and laid down on the sandy beach as well.

Within a few minutes, everyone was asleep. Tomorrow, they would return to the Great Valley. Hopefully, they would not face as many dangers as they had that day.


	41. More Dangers of the Sea

**Chapter 40**

**More Dangers of the Sea**

As soon as Littlefoot woke up, he immediately knew something wasn't right. He had been sleeping near Takua, but when he woke up, Takua wasn't there. What had happened to Takua?

"Takua?" called Littlefoot. "Takua!? Takua! Where are you!?" He didn't hear any responses.

By now, Littlefoot's shouts had woken up everyone. "What's going on?" asked Chomper.

"Takua is gone!" exclaimed Littlefoot.

"Don't tell me he decided to wander off again," grumbled Cera.

"I don't know, but we need to find him."

"I agree," said Ruby. "After all, the Energy Stone is in his backpack, which is with him and not with us."

"But we need to get the boat ready as soon as possible," said Maku. "Paddling a boat back up a river is not easy."

"You can stay here and get the boat ready," said Littlefoot. "The rest of us will find Takua. Come on!" The gang then headed into the dense forest of the island to look for Takua, while Maku, Kotu and Hahli stayed with the boat to get it ready for the return trip.

* * *

Following the unique scent of a Matoran, Chomper was easily able to lead his friends in the right direction to find Takua. They all hoped that Takua would not be in any danger when they found him.

It wasn't long until they found Takua. Clearly, he had wandered off, like he always did. He was walking across a log that spanned a flooded chasm. He was walking to the other side from where the gang was, so he didn't notice they were there.

The gang called to Takua, hoping to get his attention. However, Takua was caught by surprise so much that he lost his balance on the log and slipped off. Fortunately, he thought quickly and made sure he hit the water in such a way that it wouldn't injure him. Once he resurfaced, he quickly took out his lavaboard, which was also able to float on water. He then climbed onto it. The gang looked over the edge to see him floating on his lavaboard and drifting towards the ocean.

"Don't worry about me, guys!" called Takua. "Get back to the boat! I'll meet you somewhere on the way to the river!"

Knowing there was no way they could save Takua at this time, the gang was forced to return to the boat and hope that they would meet up with him as soon as possible.

* * *

The gang made it back to the boat more quickly than they had left it. As the gang ran towards the boat, Hahli asked, "Where's Takua?"

"He fell into a river, but he's okay," replied Littlefoot. "He's floating on his lavaboard and said we would have to meet up with him somewhere in the ocean. We have to leave now!"

"Okay, help us push the boat into the water and we'll be on our way," said Maku. The gang quickly agreed and helped the Ga-Matoran push the boat off of the beach. With their combined effort, it didn't take them long to do it. Once the boat was floating on the water, everyone quickly jumped in. The Ga-Matoran grabbed their paddles and started paddling the boat away from the island.

The island was not even out of sight of the boat when Littlefoot saw Takua trying to reach them as quickly as possible. "There he is!" he exclaimed. Everyone else rushed to the side of the boat to see that he was indeed swimming towards them on his lavaboard. He was in no immediate danger, but they all knew that the sooner he got to the boat, the less likely he would be in danger.

That Ga-Matoran stopped paddling away from the island so that Takua, who was also paddling away from the island, but more slowly, would be able to catch up to them more easily. Soon after they stopped paddling, Kotu noticed a large shadow moving across the water. She tried to see what it was, but it quickly swam under the boat. "You might want to hurry up, Takua!" called Kotu. "I just saw something big swimming in the water!"

"Could that be another Tarakava?" asked Hahli.

Ruby leaned over the edge of the boat to see what it was. A moment later, a large mouth full of sharp teeth shot out of the water and went towards her. She quickly jumped back to avoid losing her head. "No, Swimming Sharptooth," she simply replied.

Maku barely caught a glimpse of the Swimming Sharptooth, but it was enough for her to understand what it could do. To her, it resembled a Takea, a shark-like Rahi often found in the seas near Ga-Koro. These Rahi were very dangerous, even without an infected mask. Although she had no idea how it compared to one of these Swimming Sharpteeth, she knew they shouldn't take any chances.

The gang began calling for Takua to get to the boat as quickly as possible. Takua, seeing the frightened looks on their faces, knew that he had to get into the boat immediately.

One he was close enough, Takua took off his backpack and tossed it onto the boat. He then continued paddling to the boat on his lavaboard. Suddenly, a large mouth came out of the water, grabbed Takua's arm, and pulled him underwater, leaving his lavaboard floating in the water.

Everyone was shocked at what they had just seen. None of them said anything. However, it wasn't long until something began swimming towards the surface. They expected it to be the Swimming Sharptooth, but, to their surprise, it was Takua! Even more surprising, he didn't seem injured at all and, after taking a breath when he resurfaced, he was actually laughing!

"What's so funny?" asked Cera.

"Remember how I said that Fast-Biters have very weak bite?" said Takua, happily. "Apparently, the same goes for Swimming Sharpteeth as well." Takua then grabbed his lavaboard and soon climbed into the boat. "As soon as that thing attacked me, all I did was rip my arm out of its mouth and swam to the surface. I must have ripped out half of its teeth when I pulled my arm out." Takua then put his lavaboard back in his backpack.

"Alright, Takua, you've some explaining to do!" exclaimed Cera. "What were you thinking wandering off like that!"

"I just wanted to see what was on that island," replied Takua. "I've never been to that place before and I wanted to do something while I waited for the boat to be ready to leave."

"But you had the Energy Stone with you," stated Littlefoot.

Takua nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... I actually forgot about that until you sent me into the water."

"You forgot!?" exclaimed Cera. "What do you mean you forgot about it!?"

"I don't know. I guess I just assumed that one of the Ga-Matoran had it instead of me. I had just woken up and I thought I had given it to somebody to give it to the Turaga, like I always do."

"Well, next time, try to think about these things more carefully," said Maku. "You never know what could attack you, especially when you have something Makuta wants."

Despite the danger they had just seen, the group felt confident that they wouldn't face any more serious dangers on their way back to the Great Valley.

* * *

It took all day for them to get back to the Great Valley. Finding the river was easy, but paddling the boat back upstream was difficult, especially when they reached the rapids. They had to use some extra sticks they found near the riverbanks to help push the boat against the current of the rough water. Fortunately, they didn't come across any more serious trouble.

It was already sunset by the time they returned to Ga-Koro. When they reached the dock where the boat would be kept, they were surprised to see Jala waiting there. "What took you so long?" asked Jala. "I've been waiting here since the middle of the day."

"Hey, it's not easy to push this boat upstream, especially when there's rough water in many places," replied Takua. "Besides, why have you been waiting here?"

"It was a request by Turaga Vakama. He said that I'll need to give you and your friends as much help as I can tomorrow. Now that we have five of the Energy Stones, Makuta will likely try everything he can to prevent us from finding the last Energy Stone. Most of my guards are too busy fighting off Rahi attacks, but I have asked one of my best guardsmen to temporarily take my place as Captain while I travel with you to help find that Energy Stone."

"You want to help us find the last Energy Stone?" asked Littlefoot.

"Yes, once you have figured out the clue on that tablet, you are to meet up with me outside the Eastern Pass tomorrow morning."

As Jala spoke, Maku and Kotu were securing the boat to the dock so that it wouldn't float away. However, Hahli had been listening along with Takua and the gang. "Sounds like you'll be quite busy tomorrow," said Hahli.

"I'm this busy every day. It's a tough job to be Captain of the Guard, but somebody has to do it."

"Well then, I'm just glad that someone like you is willing to accept such a duty."

Before Hahli left to return home, Takua took the Energy Stone of Water out of his backpack and said, "Hahli, take this to Turaga Nokama. She will keep it safe."

"Thanks, Takua," said Hahli, before taking the Energy Stone. As she left, she waved at Jala and said, "See you later."

Takua then noticed something odd about Jala. Jala seemed to watch Hahli as she left, and his attention didn't seem to be anywhere else. "Jala?" asked Takua. "Jala?"

Jala quickly turned his attention back to Takua and the gang. "Like I said, meet me at the Eastern Pass tomorrow morning," said Jala. He then headed back to Ta-Koro.

"That was weird," commented Cera.

"Yeah, I've never seen Jala act like that before," said Takua.

"Did it have something to do with Hahli?" asked Ducky.

"I don't know. Anyway, we should probably go home now. It's getting late."

The gang agreed and headed back to their nests to get some rest. They all knew that with one more Energy Stone left to find, it would very likely be the most difficult one to get.


	42. The Burning Mountains

**Chapter 41**

**The Burning Mountains**

Takua and the gang gathered at Kini-Nui earlier than they had previous times. This was because Jala would be waiting for them to uncover the clue to the next Energy Stone and they didn't want him to wait for a long time again.

"I'm glad we only have one more Energy Stone left to find," commented Cera. "I'd much rather accidentally walk into danger instead of having to do it on purpose."

"Yeah, but Makuta has been trying to stop us from finding the Energy Stones," said Littlefoot. "Since there's only one more left, he'll try everything he can to stop us."

"But we still need the clue because we'll never find the Energy Stone if we don't know where to look," said Ruby.

"Ruby's right, we still need to uncover the clue," said Takua. "Littlefoot and Cera are the only ones who have not yet touched the tablet, so one of them needs to do it so we can find out what the clue is."

"Fine, I'll do it," grumbled Cera. She then walked up to the tablet, raised one of her feet, and touched the tablet. As soon as she did so, another single row of letters appeared below the other revealed clues. "I don't find anything special about that anymore."

Takua then began to read the clue. The symbol on the left resembled a flame, proving that the last Energy Stone to find was indeed the Energy Stone of Fire. "To find the Energy Stone of Fire, we will need to seek 'deep within the burning mountains'," said Takua.

"The Burning Mountains?" said Chomper. "That sounds like a dangerous place."

"Yes it is," said Littlefoot. "Back when we were trying to get to the Great Valley for the first time, we had to pass through those mountains. We almost died there."

"I'm guessing it's a volcanically active region," said Takua. "Good thing Jala is volunteering to come with us. Not only is he a good fighter, but he is also a Ta-Matoran, so he is capable of handling the dangers of such a place."

"Jala said we have to meet up with him at the Eastern Pass, so I think we need to go there first before we start trying to find the Energy Stone," said Littlefoot. Everyone agreed and headed for the Eastern Pass, which actually happened to be on the way to the Burning Mountains.

* * *

Takua and the gang soon arrived at the Eastern Pass at the edge of the Great Valley. Jala, who now had his own backpack to carry the things he would need, was waiting for them, but he wasn't alone. Waiting nearby was another Ta-Matoran, Kapura. "Why is Kapura here?" asked Cera. "I thought Jala was the only one who would be waiting for us."

"I assure you it was not my idea," replied Jala. "Turaga Vakama insisted that we take Kapura with us."

"Why should we? He'll only slow us down."

"He may be slow, but there must be something about him that made Vakama want him to come with us. I don't know what it is, but perhaps it is best that we just let him come."

Kapura was among the few Matoran Cera didn't like at all. He walked unusually slow, and the things he said often didn't make any sense to her. However, they still needed to find the Energy Stone of Fire, so she was willing to tolerate him for today.

Now joined by Jala and Kapura, the group headed through the pass out of the valley to begin their search for the Energy Stone of Fire.

* * *

It was obvious when the group arrived at the Burning Mountains. These mountains were actually active volcanoes. The air felt very hot and lava flows were a common sight in the area. Although most of the gang had been here before, this place seemed unfamiliar to them.

"This place looks very different from the last time I remember it," commented Cera.

"I wouldn't be surprised," said Jala. "This is a very active region. The landscape itself is constantly changing."

Suddenly, they all felt the ground shake a little. Most of them were quite startled, but the shaking soon stopped, followed by the sound of a rock falling into a nearby lava flow. "Try to stay away from the edge of the lava flows," suggested Jala. "We wouldn't want anyone to accidentally fall into one." The gang heeded this warning and decided to walk close to the Ta-Matoran, just to be safe.

After a few minutes, the group felt the ground shake again. This time, however, the shaking didn't stop and a large crack in the ground began to form. Takua was the first to notice the crack forming. "Look out!" shouted Takua, who knew that such a crack would quickly widen enough for someone to fall through.

Everyone quickly got away from the crack. However, Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike, and Ruby realized they were on the other side of the crack from the others. Not wanting to possibly be stranded, they tried to go to the other side. Unfortunately, the ground split apart at the crack just as they were over it. Ruby managed to safely reach the other side, Spike barely managed to hold onto the edge, and Littlefoot fell into the expanding crack, but quickly managed to grab onto the rocky wall. Ducky lost her balance and fell off of Spike's back. Littlefoot, who could already see lava rising through the crack, smacked Ducky with his tail, causing her to land on a rocky outcrop on the other side instead of in the lava.

The shaking soon stopped and the lava in the crack stopped rising. Takua helped Spike climb over the edge, but Littlefoot and Ducky were now trapped. "Help us!" shouted Littlefoot.

"Don't worry! We'll think of something!" called Takua.

Ducky looked down at the lava that was not far below. She was terrified. Suddenly, she felt a large hand grab her and pick her up, which caused her to scream. The stranger's hand raised her to his face and she realized that it was Kapura! "Do not worry. You are safe with me," said Kapura, calmly.

The rest of the group was baffled by how this was possible. "Is that Kapura? How did he get down there?" asked Cera as she faced the others.

"You wish to ask me something?" asked someone who was right behind Cera.

Cera quickly turned around to see Kapura standing right there with Ducky still in his hands! Cera quickly looked back at the outcrop and saw no one was there anymore. She quickly looked back and forth between where Kapura was a minute ago and he was now. She was now very confused. "But- How- How did you-?" She could even finish asking her question.

Fortunately, Kapura knew what she was trying to ask. He gently put Ducky on the ground and said, "It is as Vakama said. I practiced and became skilled. I now know the secret art of traveling great distances very quickly by moving slowly. It is a small matter for me to be wherever I am not. It is a useful skill, as you have just seen."

Everyone looked back at the outcrop just in time to see it break off and fall into the lava. "That was really impressive, Kapura," said Littlefoot, who was still holding onto the rocky wall. "Unfortunately, I don't see how your new skill can save me from where I'm trapped."

"Don't worry, Littlefoot. We'll think of some way to save you," called Chomper. Chomper then looked back at the rest of the group and quickly realized one of them was missing. "Where's Takua?" he asked.

The others quickly noticed this. "Don't tell me he decided to wander off again!" exclaimed Cera. "This is hardly the time to do such a thing."

"Actually, he's doing something much worse right now," said Jala, as he pointed at a large rock along the crack, not far away. Climbing that rock was Takua, who held his lavaboard in one of his hands. Once he reached the top of that rock, he looked down at the lava that filled the crack as he held his lavaboard in front of him.

"Takua?" asked Chomper. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to rescue Littlefoot!" replied Takua. He then jumped off the rock and held his lavaboard underneath him as he splashed onto the lava. Fortunately, the currents in the lava were now flowing in such a direction that it allowed him to ride directly towards Littlefoot. He stopped himself by grabbing onto the rocky wall right below Littlefoot. "Littlefoot, jump on!" shouted Takua

Littlefoot wasn't sure about it, at first. What Takua seemed to be planing seemed very dangerous, but he quickly realized that this might be his only chance. He took a deep breath and let go of the rocky wall. He landed right on top of Takua, who, as a result of the impact, let go of the rocky wall and caused them to be carried further down the crack by the lava.

They soon ended up at the end of the crack and were now riding down a larger rapidly-moving lava flow. There was not much room on the lavaboard, so Littlefoot had to position himself over Takua in such a way that he would allow Takua to be able to guide them to safety.

As they rode the lava flow, Takua asked Littlefoot to help lean the lavaboard with him to make it easier to steer them away from rocks and other hazards. Takua then saw rapids up ahead and there seemed to be no way to avoid them. He quickly scanned the rapids and saw one part of it that might actually help them rather than harm them. He steered towards a specific part of the rapids, which caused them to be flung high into the air and land on the solid rocky ground nearby. The rest of the group soon arrived and were relieved to see that they were both okay.

"Are you sure that idea you came up with was a good idea?" asked Ruby to Takua.

"Not really, but I couldn't think of any other way to save Littlefoot," replied Takua.

Suddenly, everyone felt the ground shake again. This time, they were dangerously close to the edge of a lava flow. Cera happened to be standing so close to the edge that the rock she was standing on broke off of the edge and ended up floating down the lava flow. She screamed as the rock carried her further down the lava flow, which soon came to a stop as it got stuck against the rocky wall on the other side of the lava flow.

The rest of the group quickly got as close as they could to Cera. Kapura used his new skill to suddenly appear right behind Cera. "Do not worry. This rock is stuck in a stable location. We will have much time to be able to get you to safety," said Kapura.

Cera was startled by Kapura's sudden appearance behind her. "You really need to stop doing that!" exclaimed Cera, annoyed. Cera then looked at the lava that was quickly rushing past the rock she was stranded on. She then got an idea. "Takua! Throw me your lavaboard!" shouted Cera.

"Do not do it, Takua," said Kapura. "I know what she is planning. It is not a good plan."

Takua wasn't sure about who he should listen to. Cera was one of his close friends and he needed to save her, but he had to admit that she didn't always come up with a smart plan. On the other hand, Kapura was one of the wisest Matoran in Ta-Koro, according to Turaga Vakama, but Takua was so sure if that was true or not. Finally, he decided to toss the lavaboard to Cera. Cera then grabbed the lavaboard with her mouth and took a few steps back from the lava.

"You are making a big mistake," said Kapura. "Do not try it."

Cera then let go of the lavaboard and said, "Please, you Ta-Matoran make it look so easy. How hard can it be?" She picked up the lavaboard, then ran towards the lava and jumped. She grabbed the lavaboard with her four feet and held it underneath her as she landed on the lava. At first, everything seemed to be going great, but then things went terribly wrong. She then found herself being carried away by the lava, and worse, she didn't know how to control the lavaboard.

"Don't worry, I'll save her," said Takua as he reached into his backpack to get his lavaboard, but quickly remembered that it was his lavaboard that Cera was using.

Jala sighed in frustration. He then quickly took a lavaboard out of his backpack and jumped onto the rapidly-moving lava. He wasn't as skilled as Takua at lava surfing, but he did know enough to allow him to save Cera.

Cera continued to scream as she was carried further by the lava. Jala moved as best as he could to reach Cera as quickly as possible. He was almost right behind Cera when he noticed rapids up ahead, and just beyond that was a large rocky ledge on the other side of the lava from where he had jumped. Like Takua, he used the rapids to his advantage. The rapids launched Cera into the air, but Jala was launched even higher because of the way he hit the rapids. He was then able to grab Cera and they both landed on the rocky ledge.

By the time Cera managed to stand up, she looked up and saw Jala looking at her with an angry look on his face. "I don't blame Takua for this," said Jala. "You should have listened to Kapura. Now do you see why he was right?"

"I didn't see anybody else coming up with any plans," replied Cera, starting to get a little angry as well.

"Kapura said that rock was stuck in a stable place. You should have waited for one of us to come up with a better plan." Jala then looked at the lavaboard he had just used. He was borrowing this one, so he was quite frustrated when he noticed that it was now broken almost in half. "Great, now I can't return this lavaboard." He tossed it aside, then picked up Takua's lavaboard and put it in his backpack.

The others soon arrived to see that they were now separated from Jala and Cera. "Jala! Cera! Are you alright?" asked Littlefoot.

"Were fine," replied Jala. He then looked back and noticed that he was actually standing in front of a cave entrance. "I have a better plan. Forget about crossing the lava. Cera and I will head down this cave and, hopefully, we'll meet up with the rest of you somewhere."

"I think that's a good idea, Jala," said Takua. "After all, I think we're all tired of dealing with this lava flow, right?" Everyone quickly agreed with him. "Alright, we'll head further along this lava flow and try to find another cave entrance."

The group then continued to walk along the edge of the lava flow. Cera was reluctant at first, but quickly realized she didn't have a choice, so she followed Jala into the cave. It had been a rough day already, but things were about to get worse.


	43. Fiery Arguments

**Chapter 42**

**Fiery Arguments**

It wasn't long until the group found another cave entrance near the lava flow. "Us really have to go down there?" asked Petrie, who was already feeling very nervous.

"If we want to find Cera and Jala, I don't think we have any other choice," replied Littlefoot.

Reluctantly, they all headed into the cave. The heat was quickly noticeable. The nearby lava flows provided enough light that a lightstone wasn't needed. It wasn't long until they reached a point where the cave split in two directions.

"Which way do we go?" asked Chomper. The last time the gang was faced with this kind of decision, a cave-in caused by an earthquake had forced them to separate. This time, none of them wanted to be separated from anyone.

No one said anything for a few minutes. Finally, Kapura decided on what to do. "Let me look down both directions," said Kapura. "My skill will allow me to move quickly." Then it seemed that Kapura had instantly disappeared, but the gang knew that he actually had quickly traveled down one of the caves. Kapura then instantly reappeared a few seconds later. "We must not go left. That path leads directly into a lava pit."

"I guess that means we go right," said Takua. The others agreed and began heading down the path on the right.

* * *

Jala and Cera continued to walk further into the cave. Neither of them spoke because they were still angry at each other. Jala was angry because Cera had recently done something very stupid, and Cera was angry because Jala had sounded so demanding that he seemed to be treating her worse than her father.

They soon reached a point where the cave split in two directions. "This way, we're going left," said Jala.

"No, I say we go right," argued Cera. A massive argument now seemed inevitable.

"Why do you want to go right?"

"We're trying to get out of these caves, right? If the other side of the lava flow is to the right, that means we have to go right to get out of here."

"True, but did you notice that there's enough light in here that we don't need a lightstone? It's coming from the lava, and from what I can see there might be a lot of it in the cave to the right. I say we should take the safer path and go left."

"But what if it turns out to be the wrong way and we end up lost!?"

"I don't know, but I do know we need to avoid the lava. We are going left!"

"Why should I go that way!?"

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"And why should I listen to you!? Is it because you are 'Captain of the Guard'? I don't see what's so special about that! In fact, I bet a Threehorn like myself can do better than you at such a thing!"

Jala then stomped his foot on the ground as he turned to directly face Cera. Cera looked up at him and saw that his arms were crossed and he had a very serious look on his face. Clearly, she had now made him very furious. Jala had had enough and decided that it was time to give her a lecture that he now felt was very necessary. "Cera, you are a dinosaur and a child. You haven't even been in existence for more than ten years! I, along with the rest of the Matoran, have been around since the time before time, which I know for a fact to be no less than a thousand years. Turaga Vakama made a tough decision and believed he made the right choice when he chose me to be Captain of the Guard. Yet, you say you can do better than me as Captain of the Guard, just because you are a Threehorn!?" Jala then leaned in so close to Cera that their faces almost touched. "You don't know _anything_ about the real world!" Surprisingly, he had spoken in a calm voice for most of the lecture.

"Don't tell me I don't know anything!" shouted Cera. She then ran off down the path to the right.

"Cera, get back here!" shouted Jala. Cera clearly wasn't listening anymore. Frustrated, he knew he had no choice but to run after her. As he ran further into the cave, he thought, _She's even worse than Takua_.

No matter how fast Cera ran, Jala continued to chase her. She continued to run until she saw the cave come to an abrupt end. She managed to stop just in time to avoid going over the edge. She looked down and saw a lava flow not far below. Cera now saw why Jala was right. This path was the wrong way to go. However, she still didn't want to listen to him. The things he had said to her made her maintain her anger at him.

Jala soon arrived and also saw the lava flow. "Now do see why this was the wrong way to go!?" exclaimed Jala. "You're lucky you didn't just kill yourself! Now come on! We're getting out of here!"

Cera had now had enough. "Why should I listen to you!? You're not my dad!" exclaimed Cera.

"No, but I am more responsible and trusted than he is. Ask anybody in Ta-Koro and they'll say that I always know what I'm doing. Now follow me!"

"Make me!"

Jala then grabbed Cera by her front legs and began to drag her back in the direction they had come from. "I didn't want to do this, but you're giving me no choice. I'm taking you to safety, even if I have to drag you all the way!"

Cera then ripped herself free from Jala's grip and shouted, "Don't _ever_ do that again!" Before Jala could say anything, she charged at him and knocked him off his feet.

Jala stood back up and saw Cera looking at him with a furious expression on her face. He was now just as furious. "That's it!" He then took a small object out of his backpack. "You want to fight me?" A medium-sized metallic blade quickly extended from the object. "Then fight me!"

The two of them just stood there for a few seconds. Cera wanted to see what Jala would do with that blade in his hand. It definitely looked like quite a powerful weapon, and she wasn't sure what kind of damage it could do to her. Any fear she had of that weapon was covered up by her intense anger at him. Jala decided to stand there and let Cera make the first move. He knew that his blade could easily kill her, so he was hoping that he could use it to intimidate her without having to swing it at her even once. At the moment, that plan didn't seem to be working. He really didn't want to have to use his blade, but if he had to, he would only give her a small cut in order to teach her a painful lesson about messing with the Captain of the Guard.

Finally, Cera made the first move. She charged straight at Jala, but he quickly stepped aside to avoid getting hit. Cera stopped and turned to face Jala again. Again, she charged at him and he quickly stepped aside. This time, Cera was stopped when she slammed her head against the rocky wall of the cave, causing that part of the wall to crack and crumble. Being a Threehorn, Cera was able to shrug off what little pain she felt from the impact. She faced Jala and prepared to charge again.

Jala quickly glanced at the recently created pile of rocks. He noticed a strange red glow coming from within the pile. Somehow, it didn't seem to be coming from the lava. This made him stare at the pile for about a second. "Cera, wait!" exclaimed Jala, holding up his hand.

Cera was confused, but still angry. "Why should I listen to you!?" she exclaimed.

"Because I'm the one holding a weapon that can kill you, that's why!" If this wasn't enough to intimidate her, Jala knew that he would have to actually use his blade, and he really didn't want things to go that far.

Reluctantly, Cera slowly stepped away from Jala as he slowly approached the pile of rocks. Jala shoved aside most of the rocks to reveal what was causing the red glow. As he did all this, he kept his blade pointed at her.

Cera also looked at the source of the strange red glow. Once the rocks were cleared, she was surprised by what she saw. It looked like the other Energy Stones, only this one glowed a bright red color.

"Is that the Energy Stone of Fire?" asked Jala.

"I guess so," replied Cera. She was so surprised that she found the Energy Stone like that, she quickly lost most of her anger at Jala.

Jala wanted to grab the Energy Stone himself, but for some reason, he felt that Cera should be the first one to grab it. Besides, she was now showing signs that she wasn't so furious anymore. Taking a big risk, he retracted his blade and put it back into his backpack. "Take it," said Jala, gesturing towards the Energy Stone.

Keeping and eye on Jala, Cera approached the Energy Stone. Seeing that it was stuck vertically in the ground, she put her foot on it and tried to push it over. She struggled for a second, but it quickly came loose. Having no way to easily carry it, she decided to let Jala to have the Energy Stone.

Jala picked up the Energy Stone and stared at it for a few seconds. "I guess you were right," said Jala. "This was the right way to go." He then noticed Cera starting to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"You did say we should go left, so that's where I'm going," replied Cera.

Jala was pleased to hear that he and Cera were finally agreeing with each other. He then put the Energy Stone in his backpack. "Then let's get going," said Jala. The two of them then walked back to where the paths split so that they could find the others. Jala had to admit, this had just been perhaps one of the most unusual moments of his entire life.

* * *

The rest of the group was still walking down their part of the cave. Ever since Kapura told them to go right, they had not seen anything. "How much further do we have to go?" asked Ducky.

"I don't know, but we need to keep going," replied Takua.

"There's just one that's bothering me right now," said Ruby. "You call this place 'volcanically active'. That means earthquakes and lava flows are very common here. But ever since we went into these caves, we haven't felt a single earthquake."

Suddenly, they all felt the ground begin to shake. "You had to say that," grumbled Petrie.

They then heard a cracking noise. They looked to their left just in time to see part of the cave wall collapse, revealing another cave on the other side. The minor earthquake then stopped. "That wasn't so bad," commented Chomper.

"Hey, I think I heard someone over here," said a voice in the recently revealed cave. The group then saw Cera and Jala step through the hole in the wall.

"Cera! Jala! We found you!" exclaimed Littlefoot.

"Nice to see you, too," said Jala. "Great news, we found the Energy Stone of Fire. That means all we have to do now is find a way out of here and get back to the Great Valley."

"Great! Let's get going," said Takua.

Suddenly, most of them heard the noise of hundreds of tiny legs scampering across the ground. "What was that?" asked Ducky.

The next thing they saw were dozens of small eyes, and they were coming right towards them. "That's not good," said Chomper, starting to feel very scared.

"What are you talking about?" asked Cera. She wasn't the only one who noticed that Chomper, Littlefoot, and Takua were the only ones who seemed scared.

"Kofo-Jaga, painful sting, thousands of them, let's start running!" said Takua as quickly as he could. As soon as they saw just how many of the Kofo-Jaga there were, they immediately began to run. Kapura was too slow to run, so he simply used his skill to go directly to where the others were headed. He arrived at a point where the cave split in two directions, so he waited until everyone passed by to see which way they were going.

Unfortunately, they didn't realize that they were going in the direction Jala and Cera had just recently come from. They soon reached the dead end just over a lava flow.

"We're trapped!" exclaimed Littlefoot as he looked down at the lava flow.

"Do you think we should have told everyone to go the other way?" asked Cera to Jala.

"Too late for that," replied Jala as he looked back into the cave.

Everyone else looked back and saw the Kofo-Jaga were quickly approaching them. It seemed there was no way for them to escape.


	44. Lava Flows and Other Dangers

**Chapter 43**

**Lava Flows and Other Dangers**

The group saw the Kofo-Jaga quickly approaching them. There was no way to get around them, and the only other direction they could go was directly into a lava flow below. If the group thought this was bad enough, they thought wrong.

They suddenly felt the ground start to shake again. As the lava flow began to noticeably speed up, the rocky ledge they were trapped on began to crack. Before anyone could react, the whole ledge broke off, taking them down to the lava with it.

Fortunately, it remained intact and actually floated on the lava. As the lava carried the ledge away, the group looked back and saw the Kofo-Jaga had just reached where the ledge was and they were actually starting to climb down the rock towards the lava. It seemed that the Kofo-Jaga didn't care about walking right into lava.

"I think we're safe now," said Chomper.

"We may be safe from the Kofo-Jaga, but I don't think we're safe from that!" exclaimed Ruby as she pointed in the direction the lava was carrying them.

They could see minor rapids up ahead, which were already causing the rock they stood on to sway uncontrollably. Everyone tried their best to stay on the rock and not fall into the lava, but this was quickly proving to be difficult.

They soon came to a small lava pool in a cavern. The lava flowed into the pool from one side of the cavern, and flowed out of the pool on the side to the left from where it had entered. They could have passed though the cavern and continued being carried away by the lava flow, but their momentum caused them to slam into the rocky wall of the far left corner of the cavern, where the rock they stood on got stuck. Jala knew it wouldn't last long, so he looked at the rocky wall and realized that it wasn't too steep to climb. There also seemed to be a pathway at the top, not far away. "Quickly, everyone up the cliff!" ordered Jala.

Not wanting to be near the lava again, everyone quickly did as they were told and began to climb up the rocky slope. Although some of them had some difficulty, they all managed to at least get off of the remains of the ledge before it broke apart and was carried away by the lava. Within a minute, they all managed to reach the top of the slope, which happened to be relatively level. They now had time to notice a rocky bridge that crossed over the lava flow that led away from the cavern. There were also two underground pathways out of the cavern, one on each end of the bridge.

"I don't know about you, but I think I've had enough action for one day," commented Cera.

Suddenly, a loud roar was heard and it sounded like it came from the pathway on the group's side of the bridge. Everyone looked back and saw Redclaw, Screech, and Thud were approaching.

"Looks like us got more quick-action to do today!" exclaimed Petrie.

"It's Redclaw again!" exclaimed Littlefoot. "We have to run!"

"No!" shouted Jala.

"What?!" exclaimed Cera, who couldn't possibly see why he didn't want to run from someone like Redclaw.

Jala took his blade out of his backpack. "The Captain of the Guard never runs away," stated Jala.

"That's nice to hear, Jala, but Littlefoot said run!" exclaimed Takua. He then ran away from the Sharpteeth by running across the rocky bridge over the lava. The gang quickly followed him.

Jala looked at Redclaw and could see why the young dinosaurs would be terrified of him. Reluctantly, Jala put away his blade and ran across the bridge, knowing that even he had little chance against such a large Sharptooth.

Kapura, for some odd reason, chose not to use his skill to get across the bridge. Instead, he walked, which was clearly at quite a slow pace. The Sharpteeth were quick to catch up to him. Kapura simply turned around and faced them. They stopped very close to him with confused looks on their faces. He apparently showed no fear, or any other emotion for that matter. "You might think that by being slow I am at a disadvantage," said Kapura. "You are mistaken. By being slow, I am at an advantage."

The Sharpteeth had no idea what Kapura had just said, so they decided to just take him out while they had the chance. Screech and Thud charged at him, but before they could pin him down on the ground, he had suddenly and strangely disappeared. They looked around to find out where he went. They were quite surprised when they saw him standing on a small ledge on the wall of the cavern, high enough that only Redclaw could reach him.

Kapura had been carrying a throwing disk with him all day and now was the time to use it. He grabbed his throwing disk and aimed for the stalactites that hung directly above the bridge. Once he made sure exactly where to hit, he threw the disk. Since he was always slow-moving, his disk flew more slowly than a disk would normally fly, but it was still fast enough to hit its target and do the intended damage. It hit one of the larger stalactites and deflected towards the other side of the bridge. The impact was just enough to cause the ceiling to crack, which caused the stalactites to fall onto the bridge. The numerous impacts of these stalactites caused the bridge to shatter and fall into the lava below.

The group had been watching the whole thing and most of them were unable to believe what had just happened. "Nice shot," commented Petrie. Nobody else said anything.

The Sharpteeth were now unable to reach any of the group on the other side, except for Kapura. Redclaw immediately tried to grab Kapura in his powerful jaws, but ended up getting a mouthful of rocks. He spat out the rocks and looked towards the group. Once again, the Sharpteeth were surprise to see Kapura where he wasn't only a second earlier, only this time he was on the other side of the lava with the rest of the group.

Kapura picked up his throwing disk and looked at the confused and frustrated Sharpteeth stranded on the other side. "I am not one who makes fun of others," said Kapura. "However, I must admit that I find your misfortune rather amusing."

The Sharpteeth roared in frustration, then turned around and headed back the way they came.

Kapura turned around and saw most of the group still looked very confused. "Shall we continue our journey home?" suggested Kapura, who seemed to ignore their confused faces.

Everyone agreed and they began heading up the only pathway they could take. Jala was impressed by how useful Kapura's skill was. In fact, he couldn't help but point out that Cera had been wrong. "I told you it was a good idea to bring him with us," said Jala.

Cera said nothing.

* * *

The walk back to the surface was surprisingly short. Now that the group was no longer underground, the journey back to the Great Valley would be much easier. Everyone felt much more comfortable once they were no longer in the area of the Burning Mountains.

It was already sunset by the time the group came back into the Great Valley through the Eastern Pass. By now, Jala had given Takua back his lavaboard. Jala told everyone that he would give the Energy Stone to Turaga Vakama, once he got back to Ta-Koro. After, of course, he had a little talk with a certain Threehorn about smart decision-making. Cera knew that he was referring to her father.

Kapura said his unusual way of saying goodbye, then used his skill to quickly travel back to Ta-Koro. Although his skill was impressive, Cera still didn't like him.

By nightfall, everyone was heading home, except for Jala, who first had to have a talk with Cera's father. Takua still slept at Littlefoot's nest, so both of them were heading there.

As they were walking, Littlefoot couldn't help but think about the dream he had that had started off the whole quest. It had represented events that had happened and were going to happen. But there was something about that dream that made it different from the real events. He decided to tell Takua about it.

"Takua?" asked Littlefoot. "Do you remember that sleep-story I had that eventually started our search for the Energy Stones?"

"Yeah," replied Takua. "What about it?"

"Well, I think that the different colored rocks in that sleep-story actually represented the Energy Stones. But there's something about it that doesn't make sense. I've heard that we only need to find six Energy Stones, but there were seven colored rocks in my sleep-story."

"Are you saying there might be a seventh Energy Stone?"

"I don't know. I can't even think of what element that Energy Stone could be. We only know of six elements."

"I'm actually surprised that Makuta has allowed us to take the Energy Stones so easily. Too easily. If he didn't want us to find those Energy Stones, he would have tried harder to stop us, perhaps even succeeding. I have a feeling that if there is a seventh Energy Stone, it may be very difficult to find it and keep it safe."

Takua and Littlefoot then walked over to their usual sleeping spots, Littlefoot in his nest and Takua at the base of a nearby tree.

"I guess we will have to wait until morning to find out," said Takua. "Goodnight, Littlefoot."

"Goodnight, Takua," said Littlefoot. They both soon fell asleep.


	45. A Seventh Energy Stone?

**Chapter 44**

**A Seventh Energy Stone?**

After eating their breakfast, the gang gathered near the tablet at the Kini-Nui temple. Takua told them that, according to the dream Littlefoot had that had started the search for the Energy Stones, there might be a seventh Energy Stone. Of course, some of them wouldn't want to believe it.

"Come on!" exclaimed Cera. "I thought we were done with this!"

"I may not want to believe it myself, but Takua may be right, right he may be," said Ruby. "We have already revealed six clues on that tablet, but there are seven of us. That means one of us has not yet revealed a clue."

Everyone immediately turned to look at Littlefoot. Littlefoot quickly realized why they were looking at him like this, so he walked up to the tablet and touched it with his right front foot. Another single row of letters appeared below the other clues.

Takua walked up to the tablet to read what had just been revealed. Immediately, he knew this was a clue to finding another Energy Stone. The symbol that represented the element of this Energy Stone, which appeared to be a circle with eight lines pointed away from the center of it in equal directions, was a symbol he had never seen before. Regardless, he decided to read the clue.

"It looks like we do have a seventh Energy Stone to find," said Takua. "To find it, we need to 'rescue a good friend, for only she knows where it will be found'."

Everyone was a little surprised at what that clue said. After getting over the shock of it, they thought about that clue for a moment. Chomper said, "If we need to rescue one of our friends, maybe that friend lives in the Mysterious Beyond."

"You're right, Chomper," said Littlefoot. "With people like the Ta-Koro Guard around, I doubt there's anyone in the Great Valley that we can save. The question is, which of our friends do we need to save?"

"I don't know," said Takua. "You've told me about so many friends you've made that I actually can't remember how many you have."

"The clue did say 'for only she knows', so that means the friend we will need to save is a girl," said Ruby.

"Good thinking, Ruby. That helps to narrow down the list a bit. So which of your friends are female?"

"There's Ali, the Longneck," said Littlefoot.

"Anybody else?"

After thinking for a few seconds, Littlefoot said, "You know, I actually can't think of anyone else."

"In that case, it looks like we will need to find and rescue Ali if we want to find the last Energy Stone."

"What do we need to save her from?" asked Ducky.

"I don't know. I guess we won't know until we find her. But before we do anything, I suggest we try to get as much help as we can from the villages. Since this is the last Energy Stone left to find, Makuta will certainly do everything he can to stop us."

"That's a good idea, Takua. A good idea that is," commented Ruby.

"I suggest we split up so we can so we can ask for help from all the villages at once," suggested Littlefoot. "It'll save us a lot of time."

"Good idea, Littlefoot," said Takua. "Cera, you go to Ta-Koro. Ruby, you-"

"Wait a minute! Why do I have to go to Ta-Koro?" asked Cera. "Why don't you go there?"

"I'm not allowed in that village anymore. Remember?"

"Oh yeah."

"Ruby, you go to Ko-Koro. Petrie, you go to Le-Koro. Ducky, you and Spike go to Ga-Koro. Littlefoot, you and Chomper go to Po-Koro. And I'll go to Onu-Koro. Try to get as much help as you can and bring them here before we leave."

Everyone agreed and soon left to get any help they could from the six villages.

* * *

When the gang later regrouped, everyone had the same bad news: none of the villages could spare any help. It was the same story in all of the villages. Rahi attacks had become more frequent and more powerful recently, and as a result, nobody could offer any help to find a seventh Energy Stone.

However, Petrie did get some good news from Le-Koro. "Gukko Force way-finders seek-found herd of Longnecks not far from Great Valley. They say go southwest."

"How can we be so sure that's Ali's herd and not some other Longneck herd?" asked Cera.

"We won't know until we go there and see if it is Ali's herd," replied Ruby.

"Ruby's right. It is the only Longneck herd we know where to find, so we better get going now," said Takua.

"But we can't get any help from any of the villages," said Littlefoot.

"Then I guess that means we're on our own."

Nobody bothered to say anything. They knew that what Takua had just said was true. Regardless, they knew they had to find the Energy Stone, so they immediately left and headed to where the Longneck herd had been sighted.

* * *

The gang had been walking through the Mysterious Beyond for over an hour now, and they had not yet seen any sign of a Longneck herd.

"Find anything yet, Chomper?" asked Littlefoot.

Chomper was sniffing the air, trying to catch the scent of any Longneck. After a few seconds, he shook his head and replied, "No."

"Come on!" exclaimed Cera. "How hard can it be to find even one Longneck?"

Suddenly, everyone heard a scream. Then they heard a roar. "Sounds like someone's in trouble!" exclaimed Littlefoot. He and his friends then ran towards the source of the sound.

They soon reached the side of a small canyon. Down in the canyon, they could see a Fast-Biter that had just cornered its prey: a familiar young Longneck. "It's Ali!" exclaimed Littlefoot. The gang couldn't believe what they were seeing. The worst part of it was that there seemed to be no way to save her from where they were.

However, Takua was simply not going to do nothing about this. He took off his backpack and, before anyone could question him, he jumped off of the canyon wall. He landed right on the Fast-Biter with enough force to knock it down and out. After quickly recovering from the impact, Takua turned to Ali and said, "Hi there. Just thought I'd drop in and help you out." He then stood up and readjusted his mask.

Ali could not believe what had just happened in front of her. She was about to be killed by a Fast-Biter, but was saved at the last minute by the strangest creature she had ever seen. She was speechless.

"Ali? Hey, Ali!" Ali looked up and saw Littlefoot and his friends we standing at the top of the canyon wall. "Are you alright, Ali?" asked Littlefoot.

"Uh, I think so," replied Ali.

"Takua, you rock-head!" exclaimed Cera. "That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do!"

"Hey, I saved Ali, didn't I?" said Takua. "Anyway, I think we should get out of here before that Fast-Biter wakes up."

Ruby picked up Takua's backpack and said, "If we are going to go somewhere, we should stay near this canyon. We're up here and you're down there, and I don't see any way for you to get up here or us to get down there."

"Good idea, Ruby," said Takua. "Come on, Ali, let's get out of here."

"Uh, I'm not sure if I should follow you." said Ali. She was still very hesitant about being near this stranger. After all, she had just met him and knew his name only because Cera had mentioned it.

"There's nothing you need to worry about. You can trust me. Your friends have always had a lot of trust in me." Littlefoot and the others nodded in agreement to this statement. "Besides, I did save your life." He gestured towards the unconscious Fast-Biter.

"I'm not sure." Ali sighed. "I guess I could try to trust you for now."

"Good enough for me. How about you show us which way you came from? Hopefully, we'll be able to find a part of this canyon that we can climb up and rejoin the others."

"Okay, this way." Ali then started heading down the canyon with Takua following her and the gang following them along the edge of the canyon.


	46. Impossible Odds

**Chapter 45**

**Impossible Odds**

Eventually, the gang reached the end of the canyon. To rejoin Takua and Ali, all they had to do was climb down a steep hill. Once they made it all the way down, they ran up to Ali, saying how relieved they were that she was alright.

Now that she was truly safe, Ali asked, "So what are you guys doing here anyway?"

After Ruby gave him back his backpack, Takua briefly explained to Ali what had been happening over the past few days. Ali had heard the rumors about the sudden arrival to the Great Valley of strange creatures called Matoran, but she was quite surprised to hear that these rumors were all true. Takua then went on to explain how he and the gang found all but one of the Energy Stones.

When Takua finished by saying they were here to find the last Energy Stone, Ali asked, "So you think I know where the last Energy Stone is?"

"Well, the clue did say we had to save one of our friends," said Cera.

"And it did say 'she' would help us find the stone," added Ducky.

"And after all that has happened today, it would make perfect sense if you knew where we could find the Energy Stone," finished Littlefoot.

Ali thought for a moment. "You know, come to think of it, I remember seeing a rather odd rock a few days ago," she said.

"Did it look something similar to this?" asked Takua, as he pulled his lightstone out of his backpack.

"Yes, it did look similar to that."

Takua put away his lightstone and said, "That's great! Could you show us where it is?"

Ali hesitated at first, but she eventually said, "Sure. Follow me."

Ali led the way, while everyone else followed.

* * *

A few minutes later, the gang was now walking through a forest. Littlefoot walked up to Ali and quietly asked, "Are you alright, Ali?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ali.

"You seem very nervous about something."

Ali sighed. "It's just that I can't see a reason why I should trust your new friend. I mean, it was hard enough getting used to your other friends, especially Cera and Chomper, but I'm not sure about Takua. He's not even a dinosaur."

Littlefoot looked back at Takua, who was busy talking with the rest of his friends. He turned back to Ali and said, "Look, I know he may seem strange to you, but he's a great friend. If you could just give him a chance, I'm sure he'll be able to prove it to you."

Suddenly, everyone stopped when they heard something in the bushes nearby. "W-What was that?" asked Ducky, who was starting to get scared.

Takua decided to take the throwing disk out of his backpack, preparing for the worst. Just as he had feared, a Nui-Jaga jumped out from behind the bushes and prepared to strike Ali with its powerful stinger. Fortunately, Takua acted quickly and managed to shove her out of the way. He then threw his throwing disk at the Nui-Jaga, knocking off one of its infected masks. The disk deflected back to Takua, who caught it and threw it back at the Nui-Jaga, knocking off its other infected mask. No longer under the influence of Makuta, the Nui-Jaga backed off into the bushes. Takua caught his disk again and said, "Looks like my aim has improved."

Takua was then struck in the back, sending him flying forward into a tree trunk. The impact left him temporarily dazed. Everyone looked back and saw a Tarakava standing behind them, ready to strike again with its powerful forearms. It attempted to hit Cera, but she managed to jump out of the way. Before the Tarakava brought its arm back, Cera decided to grab onto the arm, causing her to be flung towards the Tarakava's head. This allowed her to knock off the infected mask with one good kick. After Cera hit the ground, she looked back and saw the freed Tarakava backing off. "And that's how Threehorns fight Rahi," she proudly said.

Before anyone could relax, a Nui-Rama swooped down and snatched Ruby. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and managed to rip off the infected masks, which unfortunately caused the Nui-Rama to drop her. She ended up falling through a tree, which helped to soften her landing. Takua tried to catch her, but fell over when she landed on his head.

Chomper turned around just in time to avoid being snatched in the jaws of a Muaka that had suddenly burst through the trees. Petrie screamed in terror and flew behind Spike, who decided to bury his head in the ground. Takua used his throwing disk and quickly knocked off both of the infected masks.

Takua looked back on the path they had come from and saw a few more Rahi in the distance. "It's no use," said Takua. "There's too many of them coming. If we're going to find the Energy Stone, some of us are going to have to stay here and hold off the Rahi while the rest of us find the Energy Stone." Takua held his throwing disk at the ready. "I'm choosing to stay here."

"I'm staying too," declared Cera, standing next to Takua.

"Me too," declared Chomper.

"I will also stay," stated Ruby. "It's better that those Rahi fight those of us who won't have the Energy Stone instead of those of us who will have the Energy Stone."

"I will feel much safer staying with Takua. I will, I will," said Ducky.

"Me too," added Petrie.

Spike nodded in agreement.

"I can't stay because I'm the only one who knows where the Energy Stone is," said Ali.

"We can't let her go alone!" exclaimed Littlefoot. "Somebody needs to go with her to make sure she'll be alright. I guess I'll go."

"Good luck, Littlefoot," said Takua.

While Takua and the rest of the gang turned to face the oncoming Rahi, Littlefoot and Ali quickly headed deeper into the forest, hoping that they would find the Energy Stone soon.

* * *

As they headed deeper into the forest, Littlefoot and Ali talked about various subjects.

"So, Ali, how did you end up getting chased by that Fast-Biter?" asked Littlefoot.

"Well, Rhett insisted on playing another game of rescue, but we were only halfway done when that Fast-Biter attacked us by surprise," replied Ali. "Rhett panicked and ran back to the heard, but I went a different direction and that Fast-Biter decided to chase me. I'm just glad Takua saved me when he did."

"Yeah, I'm glad he saved you, too. I also noticed that he saved you again today by pushing you away from that Nui-Jaga."

"Yes, it sure was nice of Takua to save me from that... Rahi thing, but... I just can't see him as a friend. At least, not yet."

"I really hope you do see him as a friend soon. He's a good guy, and I know he can prove it."

A few minutes later, Ali said, "I think we're getting close. I recognized some of these trees."

"Really?" asked Littlefoot. "Where's the Energy Stone?"

"I think it's this way." Ali then led Littlefoot off the path and through a dense part of the forest. They soon reached a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a large rock, and stuck vertically in the top of the rock was the Energy Stone, which glowed a bright yellow color. "Is this what you're looking for?"

"I think it is." Littlefoot then approached the rock and climbed to the top of it. He then wrapped his tail around the Energy Stone and tried to pull it loose. He struggled at first, but eventually succeeded. After looking over the Energy Stone for a minute, Littlefoot said, "Okay, we've got what we came here for. Now let's find the others and get out of here."

"Are you crazy! They're still fighting off Rahi! If those things see that we have that stone, they're going to come after us!"

"I don't think we have a better choice. What if we stumble across a few other Rahi? I don't think we could take them on by ourselves. We will all need to stay together if we want to survive these Rahi attacks."

Ali sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Come on, let's go!" Littlefoot then ran back into the forest. Ali quickly followed.

* * *

Takua threw his throwing disk and managed to knock off the infected mask from yet another Rahi. As he retrieved his disk again, he was noticeably getting exhausted.

"This is hopeless!" exclaimed Cera. "We just can't keep this up!"

"Me agree. Us run now?" asked Petrie.

"No! We have to stay here!" declared Takua. "If we let those Rahi through, Littlefoot and Ali won't be able to find the Energy Stone!"

"Here come the Rahi!" shouted Chomper.

A large swarm of Nui-Rama were flying directly towards them. Takua was too exhausted to throw his disk again. One Nui-Rama swooped down and tried to snatch Takua. Suddenly, a massive tail swatted away the giant wasp. Everyone looked back and saw the tail belonged to an adult Longneck. In fact, a whole herd of Longnecks now stood behind them.

"Run, children! We'll deal with these creatures!" exclaimed one of the Longnecks, who sounded like an elderly female.

None of them needed to be told twice. They had had enough of these Rahi, so they were more than willing to get away from here. Besides, this Longneck herd was determined to fight off these Rahi, even if they had never seen such dangerous creatures.

Takua and the gang ran down the path they had seen Littlefoot and Ali go. After running some distance, they saw Littlefoot and Ali heading towards them. They all came to a stop when they came to the same location on the path.

"Look! We found the Energy Stone!" exclaimed Littlefoot, holding up the stone he still held with his tail.

"That's great!" said Takua, as he put away his throwing disk. He then grabbed the Energy Stone and put it in his backpack. "Now let's get out of here. There's a herd of Longnecks that decided to fight off the Rahi so we could escape."

Ali suddenly looked very terrified. "That's my herd!" exclaimed Ali. "We have to help them!"

"It's not worth it, Ali," said Cera. "We're too tired to keep fighting. They're fighting those Rahi so we can escape, and I say we try to get as far away as we can."

"Cera's right," said Takua. "If we can make it back to the Great Valley quickly enough, we shouldn't have to worry about anymore Rahi attacks. Besides, I'm sure your herd will know to find you there. Now let's go!"

Ali was uncertain about this decision, but realized she had no choice. Reluctantly, she went with Takua and the gang as they quickly headed back to the Great Valley.


	47. More Attacks

**Chapter 46**

**More Attacks**

The gang continued to run down the path through the forest. Eventually, the path had disappeared and they continued running through the forest. Petrie quickly pointed out a Nui-Rama he saw flying around. Takua immediately knew that this was a sign that some Rahi were breaking through the defending Longneck herd. They soon reached the entrance to a cave. Unfortunately, a few Rahi also arrived at the same time.

"Get in the cave!" exclaimed Takua to the others. "I'll deal with these guys." He then took his throwing disk out of his backpack.

The others were reluctant, but knew they had no choice, so they quickly went into the cave. Although they couldn't tell how far the cave went, they decided to not go far so they could see what Takua was doing.

Takua threw his disk at a Nui-Jaga, but missed the masks. However, the disk did hit the Nui-Jaga in the head, which caused it to be enraged and charge at Takua. He managed to jump out of the way quickly enough to avoid getting hit by the powerful stinger. He then started backing up into the cave. What really surprised the gang was when they saw him put away his throwing disk.

"Are you crazy!" exclaimed Cera.

Takua didn't seem to have listened. Unarmed, he stayed within striking distance of the Nui-Jaga. The Nui-Jaga, swung its stinger at him, but he quickly dodged it, which caused the stinger to instead hit the wall of the cave and leave a large crack in it. Takua ran to the other side of the cave. Again, he dodged the stinger, which instead hit the wall and left a large crack in it. This action repeated a few times before the gang realized what Takua was planning to do.

Unfortunately, it was too late for them to do anything. As soon as they felt the ground starting to shake, Takua started going further into the cave. The Nui-Jaga tried to go after him, but was stopped when a few rocks fell from the ceiling and landed on it.

"Look out!" shouted Littlefoot, as he and his friends ran further into the cave to avoid getting caught in the cave-in.

The rocks soon stopped falling. The gang looked back and saw nothing but dust in the air. As the dust began to settle, everyone was surprised to see Takua walking towards them as if nothing had happened.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Chomper in happiness.

Petrie flew in front of Takua and exclaimed, "Rock-head! You could've been Rahi-bones!"

"Could've been, but I'm not," replied Takua with a smile on his face.

"Is he always like this?" whispered Ali to Cera.

"You have no idea," replied Cera.

Takua looked back and saw the cave-in he had just caused. "That should slow down the Rahi for a while, but I suggest we leave now," said Takua. "We need to make sure we put as much distance between them and us as we can, once they break through."

"Good idea," said Littlefoot. The gang then began heading further into the cave.

"Does anyone know how far this cave goes?" asked Ducky.

"We won't know how far it goes until we see how far it goes," replied Ruby.

* * *

The gang eventually found another exit from the cave. However, it wasn't long until they encountered an all too familiar threat.

Little more than a minute after leaving the cave, they noticed Redclaw, Screech, and Thud nearby. The gang was halfway down a mountain and those Sharpteeth were waiting at the bottom of that mountain. The gang couldn't go anywhere except down the mountain, where the Sharpteeth would surely notice and chase them.

Takua decided that he would not let this happen to him and his friends. "I've had enough of those guys," declared Takua. "I think it's time we scare them off for good."

"How are we going to do that?" asked Chomper. "We all know that Redclaw is the biggest and meanest Sharptooth there is."

"We're going to need a plan," replied Littlefoot.

Everyone thought for a few minutes. Eventually, Cera spoke up. "Hey, I have an idea," she said.

"Are you sure it'll work?" asked Takua.

"It worked on us on the day we first met you."

Everyone else was confused, but also curious about what Cera had in mind.

* * *

Redclaw and the Fast-Biters continued to wait at the bottom of the mountain. They would have left a few minutes ago, but the scent of their intended prey up the mountain convinced them to stand guard where they were. They couldn't go up the mountain because the path was too narrow for Redclaw, and Screech and Thud didn't want to take their chances without Redclaw's assistance.

"Hey, Sharpteeth!"

The three of them looked up and saw Takua standing at the edge of the path at a height just out of reach from them.

Takua then reached up and quickly took off his mask. "Yaaaaaahhh!" he shouted. "That's right! I just ripped off my own face! Now get out of here or I'll rip yours' off too!"

Unlike the gang, the Sharpteeth had no idea that what he had just taken off wasn't actually his face. Because of this, all of them, including Redclaw, were actually very terrified at what they saw. To them, this creature had torn off its face, but was still able to talk to them. The three Sharpteeth panicked and quickly fled.

As the Sharpteeth ran off, Takua turned around and joined in his friends' laughter.

"That was a great plan, Cera," said Littlefoot between laughs. "I would have never thought of that."

"I actually can't believe that plan worked so well that there must have been no way it could have not worked," commented Ruby.

"I'm glad you guys told me that it was just a mask and not his real face," said Ali as the laughter died down. "Otherwise I probably would have freaked out more than they did."

"Yeah, I certainly wouldn't want to scare off a good friend like you," said Takua as he put his mask back on.

"I guess my friends were right. You really are a great friend."

"I'm just trying to help wherever I can. Now I suggest we find a way back to the Great Valley before any Rahi find us."

Everyone agreed with him and headed down the mountain.

* * *

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for the gang to find a way back to the Great Valley. Less than an hour after they left the mountain, they had already arrived at the Great Valley. As they entered the valley, the gang noticed Littlefoot's grandparents were waiting not far the entrance.

Littlefoot's grandfather noticed them and said, "There you are! Thank goodness you're all alright!"

"We were so worried about you!" added Littlefoot's grandmother.

"It's okay, grandma and grandpa, we're fine," said Littlefoot.

"Not only that," added Takua as he pulled the Energy Stone out of his backpack, "we also found the last Energy Stone."

"This is wonderful news!" said Littlefoot's grandfather.

"Yes, everyone in the Great Valley will be very relieved to hear this," added Littlefoot's grandmother.

Littlefoot's grandfather then noticed that Ali was with the gang. Curious, he asked, "Ali, what brings you here on such short notice?"

Ali briefly explained what had happened. "Well, I got separated from my herd by a Fast-Biter attack. Takua saved me, then he and my friends asked me to help them find that Energy Stone. When they told me what it looked like, I knew had seen it, so I took them to where it was. I wanted to go back to my herd, but they were fighting off those Rahi things so that my friends could get away and come back here safely. I had no choice but to come with them."

"I feel sorry for you, having to make such a tough choice," said Littlefoot's grandfather. "Regardless, I am certain that your herd will be looking for you and will choose to come here first."

"In the meantime, you are more than welcome to stay with us," added Littlefoot's grandmother.

"Thank you," said Ali.

"As for the rest of you, you should probably head back to your nests right now." said Littlefoot's grandmother to the gang. "It's getting late."

Everyone agreed and headed back into the valley.

* * *

After the sun had set, everyone was in their sleeping places. Ali decided to sleep next to Littlefoot while Takua slept at his usual spot at the base of a tree.

Before going to sleep, Littlefoot asked, "Takua? Now that we have all the Energy Stones, what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure," replied Takua.

"I think that whatever we need to do next, we're going to need all of the Energy Stones with us."

"That does make sense, but I doubt that the Turaga will simply give us the Energy Stones. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Goodnight, Littlefoot"

"Goodnight, Takua."

As everyone fell asleep, they hoped that the threat of Makuta would be over soon.


	48. Into Makuta's Lair

**Chapter 47**

**Into Makuta's Lair**

The next morning, Littlefoot and his friends had a quick breakfast before they joined Takua near the tablet at Kini-Nui. "What are we supposed to do now?" asked Ducky.

"I'm not sure," replied Takua. He looked at the tablet, then to his friends, then back to the tablet. "Hm, I wonder... Now that all of you have already touched the tablet, what would happen if I touched it?"

"You've touched that tablet many times before," said Cera. "I don't think anything is going to happen."

"That was before we revealed all the clues to finding the Energy Stones. I haven't touched it since we revealed the last one. Maybe we had to wait until after all the clues were revealed before I could reveal whatever else might be on this tablet. Besides, I don't think we have any other ideas."

Takua then walked up to the tablet and touched it. To everyone's surprise, some new information did appear in the remaining blank part of the tablet. It was an image rather than writing. The image showed the seven Energy Stones, each identified by their elemental symbols, arranged in a circle in the middle of what appeared to be the Kini-Nui temple.

"I guess this means we do need all the Energy Stones here," said Littlefoot.

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked Chomper.

"We will have to ask the Turaga to let us have the Energy Stones," replied Takua. "I also think it would be a good idea to ask for any help we can get to protect us. With all the Energy Stones in one place, Makuta is sure to send many Rahi to attack us."

"Good idea," said Ruby. "We should also do the same thing we did yesterday and split up so we can get as much help as we can as soon as we can."

"You'll have to do that a little differently today. I'm going to stay here and study the tablet more closely, just to make sure we're not missing anything important."

"Alright, I think I know how we should do this," said Littlefoot. "Cera, you go to Ta-Koro. Ruby, you go to Ko-Koro. Petrie, you go to Le-Koro. Chomper, you go to Onu-Koro. Ducky, Spike, you two go to Po-Koro. I'll go to Ga-Koro with Ali. Is everyone okay with that?"

The others agreed with him. They then headed for the villages to retrieve the Energy Stones and get whatever help they could.

Takua looked back at the tablet and began to study the image on it. He looked more closely at it and noticed that, along with their elemental symbol, each of the Energy Stones was identified by a type of dinosaur. As he looked closely at the shapes of these seven dinosaurs, he identified them as a Longneck, a Threehorn, a Swimmer, a Flyer, a Spiketail, a Sharptooth, and a Fast-Runner. As he also took note of which dinosaur type was with each elemental symbol, he began to see a pattern emerge.

* * *

One by one, the gang returned to Kini-Nui, bringing with each of them an Energy Stone and any Matoran that were able to leave their villages to help defend the temple. Those who wouldn't come with them either were too busy with their work or had to help defend their villages instead. Among the Matoran who would help defend Kini-Nui were Kapura, Maku, Tamaru, Kopeke, Hafu, and Taipu.

"Okay, now that we have all the Energy Stones here, what are we supposed to do?" asked Littlefoot.

"The first thing we have to do is place the Energy Stones in that sand pit over there," said Takua, gesturing towards the circular sand pit at the center of the temple. "But we can't let just anyone place them there."

"What do you mean?" asked Ducky.

"If you look closely at the image on this tablet, you will notice that each Energy Stone is identified not only by its elemental symbol, but also by a type of dinosaur. There has to be a reason for that, and I think I know what it is. Who was the first one to touch the Energy Stone of Fire?"

"That was me," replied Cera, proudly.

"Who was the first one to touch the Energy Stone of Ice?"

"I was the first one to touch it, the first one to touch it was me," replied Ruby.

"Who was the first one to touch this Energy Stone?" He took the seventh Energy Stone out of his backpack and held it up for everyone to see.

"It was me," replied Littlefoot.

"Wait a minute, what's so significant about all this?" asked Hafu.

"Look carefully at the image on this tablet and you'll see the pattern that I see," replied Takua. "There are seven types of dinosaurs represented on this image, and those happen to be the types that my friends are. Each Energy Stone on this image is identified by an elemental symbol and a type of dinosaur. The way those two symbols match up is the same as which of my friends was the first to touch each Energy Stone."

Everyone looked at the image on the tablet and soon realized that Takua was right. However, some of them weren't so sure about his theory.

"That doesn't make sense," said Cera. "Why do the Energy Stones have to be placed there by the right people?"

"There is more to the image than simply how to enter Makuta's lair," replied Kapura. He then picked up the tablet and flipped it over, which revealed to everyone that more images had recently appeared on the back side.

Takua and the gang were quite surprised to see this. "How did you know there was more on the other side of this tablet?" asked Littlefoot.

"When one is given limited instructions, one must first find the missing pieces."

The gang decided to take a look at the images on the back of the tablet. There were two images. The one at the top of the tablet showed Kini-Nui. The one at the bottom had a symbol that resembled the rock used to represent Makuta. Surrounding that symbol were the seven Energy Stones, each of them identified by their elemental symbol and a type of dinosaur.

Takua suddenly realized what this image meant. "I get it now," he said. "We have to use the Energy Stones to defeat Makuta, but they can only be used by the ones who found them. In other words, the only one who can use this Energy Stone is Littlefoot because he was the first to touch it. The same goes for the other Energy Stones and the ones who first touched them."

"Wait a minute, you mean _we_ have to use the Energy Stones?" asked Cera. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"I honestly don't know. I guess we'll figure it out when we get there."

"They must learn on their own," said Kopeke.

"What are you talking about?"

"They must go. We must stay." He pointed at the image at the top of the tablet. There was more than just Kini-Nui. To the left of the temple, there was what appeared to be a large Rahi moving towards the temple. Standing between the temple and the Rahi was a small group of Matoran.

"Does this mean we have to stay here while they fight Makuta?" asked Taipu, referring to the gang.

Kopeke nodded.

"Me not sure about that," said Petrie, who was noticeably nervous.

"It actually makes sense if you think about it," said Maku. "You'll be down in Makuta's lair, but what if he decides to send some Rahi to destroy this temple? Kini-Nui is the only way to get in or out of there and if there's nobody here to stop the Rahi, you'll be trapped down there forever."

"I never really thought of that," said Takua. "I guess that does make sense."

"So it's settled then," said Tamaru, "us Matoran will safe-guard the temple while the little dinosaurs stop the evil-spread of Makuta."

"But Makuta is way more powerful than any Rahi, and we won't have you to help us!" exclaimed Chomper. "How can we possibly do this!"

"I guess we'll have to rely on the Energy Stones," replied Littlefoot. Using his tail, he grabbed the seventh Energy Stone from Takua and approached the sand pit. He then placed the stone upright in the sand. He turned back to his friends, hoping they were willing to follow him.

They were all hesitant at first. Eventually, Chomper was the first one to decide to follow Littlefoot. He grabbed the Energy Stone of Earth and did exactly what Littlefoot did.

Soon, Ducky followed with the Energy Stone of Water. Then Petrie with the Energy Stone of Air. Next was Spike with the Energy Stone of Stone. After some thought, Ruby decided to do the same with the Energy Stone of Ice.

Last was Cera, but just before grabbing the Energy Stone of Fire, she mumbled to herself, "I'll be a believer if this works."

As Cera approached the sand pit, Ali, who had been present but silent, said, "Please be careful, Littlefoot."

"Don't worry, Ali, we'll be fine," said Littlefoot, even though he was thinking otherwise as a real possibility.

Cera placed her Energy Stone in the sand pit. The gang now stood in a circle around the sand pit, each of them facing their Energy Stone. Suddenly, all seven Energy Stones sank beneath the sands. At first, everyone was confused.

"Where they go?" asked Petrie.

Suddenly, the stony floor beneath them broke away from the rest of the temple and began to quickly carry them down beneath the temple. After a few seconds, other stones slid out from just beneath the floor and blocked the holes left by the descending platforms.

Ali was speechless at what she just saw.

"Now what?" asked Taipu.

Takua took his throwing disk out of his backpack. "Now we must defend this temple against any Rahi that try to attack," he replied.

"What about Littlefoot and the others?" asked Ali.

"There's nothing we can do for them. From now on, they're on their own."

Ali looked back at the empty sand pit and couldn't help but feel worried about her friends.


	49. Two Battles

**Chapter 48**

**Two Battles**

Littlefoot and his friends were shocked at what was happening to them. They had no idea where they were going or what was going to happen to them. The platforms stopped descending. It was very dark, wherever they were. At first, nobody said anything because they were all very uncertain about what they had to do next.

Eventually, Chomper broke the silence. "Now what?" he asked.

"I think we will need to find Makuta," replied Ruby. "But how can we find him if it's so hard to see anything down here?"

"One thing I would like to know is what happened to the Energy Stones," commented Cera. "I don't see them anywhere."

"You're right, Cera. We can't use the Energy Stones if we don't have them with us."

"This place look very creepy," said a very nervous Petrie.

"Do not worry, Petrie," assured Ducky. "I do not think we will have to stay here for very long. No, no, no."

While his friends were busy talking, Littlefoot walked forward, hoping to find anything that he and his friends would find useful. He soon came across something. It was hard for him to identify it at first, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed there was more than one of these things.

"Guys, come here! I think I found something!" exclaimed Littlefoot.

Everyone quickly rushed to Littlefoot. Now that their eyes were also adjusting to the dark, they also saw what he saw.

"What is it?" asked Ducky, unsure of what she was seeing.

"I think it looks like some kind of armor," replied Chomper.

"And there's more than one of them," noted Cera.

Littlefoot counted the large suits of armor, which were laying face-up on the floor. "Seven," he said. "There's seven of them."

"Wait a minute, there's seven of them and there's seven of us," noted Ruby. "Do you think..."

"Only one way to find out." Littlefoot walked near the suits of armor to get a better look at them. To him, the armor appeared to be similar to the body of a Matoran, except that the legs were about as long as the arms, and that the head and torso parts were mostly hollow. The armor was also very big, about three time the height of a Matoran. Although they were all the same size, the size of the hollow parts showed that they seemed as if they were meant to be used by someone no more than a quarter of their size. Some seemed like they could be used only by someone even smaller than that. What made each of these different from each other was the shape of the hollow parts, which looked like it was where the user would control the armor. All seven of them were unique, but the shapes seemed strangely familiar to him.

Littlefoot approached one and noticed that, based on the shape of the hollow parts, it looked like it could be controlled only by a Longneck of his size. Curious, he stepped onto it, laid down on his back, and attempted to fit himself into the controlling area. It was a perfect fit. As soon as he got into a comfortable position, the armor suddenly activated and locked him into place.

Everyone was startled by this, but Littlefoot had actually expected something like that to happen. He tried to get used to this strange feeling. He moved his front right leg a little and noticed that it caused the right arm of his armor to move with it. He knew it was an arm because he saw what appeared to be a hand on the end of it. He moved his front left leg and saw the left arm of his armor move. He then decided to use his back legs to attempt to stand up. Having spent his life walking on four feet, it was a difficult thing to do at first. After a little struggling, he finally managed to get his armor to stand up straight. Seeing how high up he was from the floor, he was impressed with this armor and was convinced that it would be powerful enough to give him a better chance against anything he might have to face in Makuta's lair.

Inspired by Littlefoot's efforts, the others tried to find their suits of armor and activate them. Cera and Spike struggled as much as Littlefoot did, but the others had less difficulty, since they were already used to walking on two legs. Eventually, everyone stood up straight. They looked at each other, impressed by the armor they now wore and controlled.

"Now this is more like it," said Cera. "There's no way Makuta can stop us now."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Cera," said Chomper. "We don't know how powerful Makuta really is."

"At least we should be glad we found these," commented Ruby. "Any advantage is better than no advantage."

"What about the Energy Stones?" asked Ducky "Are we going to need those?"

"I think we will need to find them somewhere down here, and maybe this armor will help us do that," replied Littlefoot. He then began to walk further into the dark cavern. His friends followed close behind.

* * *

Takua and the other Matoran stood guard at the Kini-Nui temple. They all stood at various parts of the temple in order to make sure they could see a Rahi coming from any direction. While everyone else stood guard, Ali sat near the sand pit, hoping that her friends would be alright.

Suddenly, Tamaru heard a faint buzzing noise. He looked back and saw a small group of Nui-Rama flying towards the temple. "Rama swarm!" he shouted. He then ran to the other side of the temple, where he saw the Nui-Rama coming from, and threw his throwing disk at the first of them.

Hafu noticed what Tamaru did and exclaimed, "Hey! Don't leave that part of the temple unguarded!" he then rushed to where Tamaru should have been staying. Just as he had feared, a Nui-Jaga tried to take this opportunity to charge at the temple. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough and, thanks to his impressive accuracy, managed to knock off the infected masks with his throwing disk.

Tamaru had just knocked off the last of the infected masks from the Nui-Rama when he turned back and realized the mistake he made. He apologized for his blunder and suggested that he should keep watch at his new location. Hafu reluctantly agreed.

* * *

It wasn't long until the gang entered a large cavern. There were strange tower-like structures in scattered locations around the cavern, which were only as tall as the armor the gang was using. They had no idea what these structures were meant for, so they ignored them.

After about a minute of walking, Spike looked to his right and saw a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness. Worried, he nudged Ducky with the arm of his armor to get her attention.

"What is it, Spike?" asked Ducky.

Spike gestured with the other arm of his armor towards the eyes he saw. Everyone else looked in that direction and also saw those eyes.

Chomper looked back and saw another pair of those eyes appear.

Everyone looked around and, after a few seconds, there were dozens of pairs of eyes surrounding them. One of the pairs of eyes then moved forward just enough so the gang could see what creature they belonged to. It resembled a giant Sand Creeper, much bigger than any Ussal, and clearly more vicious-looking. More of these monster Sand Creepers approached the gang. The gang didn't know it at the time, but these creatures were called Manas, perhaps the most dangerous of all the kinds of Rahi Makuta had enslaved.

"What are these things?" asked Chomper.

"I think they might be guarding this place," replied Ruby. "I'm pretty sure Makuta doesn't want anyone coming here, so he has these guards stop anyone from coming here. If we want to get to Makuta, we will have to get past these guards."

"How we get past them?" asked a very nervous Petrie.

"Simple, we fight our way through," replied Cera, getting into a fighting stance in preparation. "Come and get us you monster Sand Creepers!" she shouted.

Immediately, one of the Manas jumped into the air at Cera. Cera threw her arms forward and managed to knock the fierce Rahi away.

"Woah! I wasn't expecting that!" exclaimed Chomper, before having to defend himself against a similar attack from another Manas.

Soon enough, the whole cavern was in chaos. Ruby, Chomper, and Ducky didn't stand much of a chance against the Manas, so they kept getting pushed back. Petrie was so terrified that all he managed to do was dodge the Manas as they charged. Cera and Spike stood the best chance, but even they struggled against the constant charging of these fierce Rahi.

Littlefoot knocked away another Manas that had tried to attack him. Before he could react, another one slammed into him from the right. He staggered a little, allowing another one to slam into him from the left. He could see that his armor was slightly damaged, showing just how tough the claws on those Manas must have been.

Littlefoot was caught completely off-guard when another Manas slammed into him from behind, causing him to fall forward to the floor. He tried to get up, but the attack had weakened him, so he slumped back down.

* * *

The Matoran guarding Kini-Nui were hardly catching a break. The Rahi attacks were relentless.

Two Tarakavas charged towards the temple, but Maku took care of that. Kopeke quickly stopped yet another Nui-Jaga. Kapura may have thrown his throwing disk at a slow speed, but he still managed to knock off the infected mask from another Nui-Rama. Taipu threw his throwing disk with such strength that when it hit the infected mask of a Muaka, it split the mask in half.

"If this keeps up, I don't know what we're going to do," said Takua. "Let's just hope there won't be a lot of Rahi that are still on the way here."

Ali had recently realized just how dangerous it really was to be here right now. She also noticed some of the Matoran were starting to grow tired, and the Rahi kept on coming.

* * *

Littlefoot was unconscious for only a minute. As soon as he woke up, he stood up. He staggered a little, not only because he was a little weakened, but also because he was still not quite used to walking on two legs. He then noticed a few Manas in front of him, and they had their eyes on him. One of them leaped at him.

Spike intercepted the attack by shoulder-ramming into the Manas, sending it flying across the cavern. Littlefoot took the opportunity to check on his friends. They all seemed exhausted, and many of them had some damage to their armor.

"This is hopeless!" exclaimed Ducky as she dodged another Manas that jumped at her. "We will never get past them! No, no, no!"

"The strategy we're using isn't working!" exclaimed Ruby. "We need a new strategy that will work!"

"What do you have in mind?" asked Cera. Before she could get an answer, another Manas charged at her, hitting her with enough force to send her flying backwards into one of the tower-like structures. The impact effectively destroyed the tower and sent sparks flying from it.

Ruby then noticed one of the Manas suddenly stop and fall limp. She looked at the destroyed tower, then back at the apparently lifeless Manas. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "It's these weird towers! If we destroy them, we can stop these monster Sand Creepers!"

"Alright!" exclaimed a very excited Chomper. "Now we get to smash stuff!" He ran to the nearest tower and quickly smashed it to pieces. He then noticed a nearby Manas collapse.

Everyone else wasted no time. As Ruby destroyed another of the towers, Littlefoot had recovered enough to rejoin the battle and destroy one more of the towers. Ducky positioned herself between a Manas and one of the towers so that when the Manas leaped at her and she dodged, the Manas destroyed it. Spike ripped one of the towers out of the floor and threw it across the cavern, smashing into another one.

"Take that!" shouted Petrie as he destroyed another of the towers.

Eventually, there was only one tower left. Cera held her arm in front of her friends and said, "I got this." She then charged at the tower. The last standing Manas attempted to intercept her, but wasn't fast enough. Cera smashed through the tower, sending sparks and pieces flying everywhere. The last standing Manas collapsed.

"Well, that's the last of them," said Chomper as he kicked aside a piece of a smashed tower.

"That was too easy," said Cera.

"It was easy only because we discovered how to stop them," commented Ruby. "If we hadn't found a way to stop them, it wouldn't have been so easy."

"Come on, everyone," said Littlefoot. "It's time to stop Makuta."

Everyone was reluctant, but they all knew they had no choice.

* * *

Takua retrieved his throwing disk after knocking off the infected mask from yet another Rahi. He returned to his position just in time to see a Muaka jump out from behind the nearby trees, which caught Tamaru by surprise and caused him to fall backwards. At the same time, many more Rahi suddenly appeared and headed straight for the temple. Everyone held their disks at the ready.

"It's horrible," said Maku.

"There must be hundreds of Rahi out there," added Hafu.

"We're doomed, doomed!" exclaimed Taipu.

"I will stand with you all, no matter what," declared Kapura.

Ali turned to Takua and exclaimed, "There must be something we can do!"

"I'm sorry, Ali, but it's going to take a miracle to save us from this," replied Takua.

"Here they come!" exclaimed Tamaru as he pointed at an approaching swarm of Nui-Rama. One of them swooped down, but was intercepted at the last minute. As the infected masks landed at his feet, Tamaru pointed towards the sky and exclaimed, "Look! It's Kongu!"

Takua looked up and, sure enough, he saw Kongu flying around on his Gukko bird. Takua then looked back down at the oncoming Rahi and saw the Ussalry, led by Onepu riding on Puku, charging onto the scene. Takua turned around and saw a Muaka running towards the temple.

Cera's father charged forward and tackled the Muaka before it could reach its destination. "That'll teach you to mess with us," he said to the downed Muaka. He then noticed an infected mask on the ground nearby, so he smashed it to pieces with his foot.

Takua then looked in the direction of the Stone Circle and saw Jala, followed by what was possibly the entire Ta-Koro Guard, appear from behind the hill. "Jala, what are you doing here!" asked Takua.

"I'll explain later," replied Jala. He turned to the guardsmen behind him and raised his arm. "Disks ready!" Everyone took out their throwing disks and held them at the ready. Jala turned back to the Rahi that were charging towards the temple. He quickly lowered his arm. With that signal, everyone threw their disks. The massive barrage of disks was enough to down dozens of Rahi at once.

Ali, Takua, and the other Matoran on the temple cheered at the sight of the battle now turning in their favor.

After a few minutes, the last few Rahi, seeing that the battle was lost, chose to flee. Some guardsmen, including Cera's father, decided to chase after them to make sure they would never come back.

With the battle over, Ali turned back to the sand pit at the middle of the temple. It had remained unchanged during the battle. She was definitely concerned about her friends. "How much longer do we have to wait for them?" she asked.

"I honestly don't know," replied Takua. He was just as concerned about his friends as Ali was.

"I just hope they will be okay."

* * *

The gang finally reached the other side of the cavern. As they approached, they saw what had appeared to have been part of the cavern wall start to rise. It was actually a massive door that was opening. However, after rising a certain height, it stopped, but it was enough to reveal what was just on the other side of the door.

"Look! The Energy Stones!" exclaimed Ducky. "We found them! We did, we did!"

"But how do we get them?" asked Chomper. "We're too big to fit through there."

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Littlefoot soon realized what had to be done. "The armor can't fit through there, but we can," he said. He then laid down on his back and managed to free himself from his armor. He then climbed out and walked to the open doorway, which was just high enough that he didn't need to duck his head. He then grabbed his Energy Stone, the seventh Energy Stone, which they still did not know what its element was. He then looked back to his friends and said, "What are you waiting for? Come on."

Cera obviously did not want to abandon her armor. "There has to be another way!" she exclaimed. She decided to try raising the door by force, but it wouldn't budge. "Come on, Spike! Help me!"

Spike walked up to the door and helped Cera try to raise it further. It still wouldn't move. After struggling for over a minute, they gave up.

Ducky was the first one who decided to abandon her armor and follow Littlefoot. She was followed by Petrie, then by Ruby, and then by Spike.

"I'm going to miss this thing," said Chomper sadly before he too abandoned his armor and walked through the doorway.

Seeing all the empty armor around her, Cera sighed in defeat. She got out of her armor and left it behind.

After the gang had grabbed their Energy Stones, there was some obvious hesitation in everyone.

"Me not sure about this," said Petrie.

"Yeah, I don't know if we can do this," said Chomper. "Did you see all the damage those monster Sand Creepers did to the armor? Makuta is way more powerful than them, and we don't have that armor anymore. What hope do we have?"

"The tablet said we need to use the Energy Stones," replied Ruby. "But I'm not sure if we know how to use the Energy Stones."

"I'm sure we'll figure it out," said Littlefoot.

Reluctantly, they all headed into the chamber in front of them. It was time to stop Makuta.


	50. The Master of Shadows

**Chapter 49**

**The Master of Shadows**

With the battle over, Jala headed to Kini-Nui and walked up the steps of the temple. Onepu and Kongu were also there, along with a few other Matoran who had just arrived.

"Hey, Jala, could you explain to me why you and the entire Guard decided to come here?" asked Takua.

"Originally, we had decided to protect the villages," replied Jala. "But when every scout reported that the Rahi were all heading to Kini-Nui, I knew we had to go after them. Apparently, Ta-Koro wasn't the only village that made the right choice."

Takua asked the same question to Kongu and Onepu, and they both gave him the same answer that Jala did.

While the Matoran talked to each other, Ali continued to stare at the sand pit at the middle of the temple, hoping that her friends would come back soon. If they succeeded, that is.

* * *

The gang entered the chamber, the heart of Makuta's lair itself. In the middle of the chamber, well above the floor, was a swirling vortex of parts and debris. They stared at it in complete shock and silence. Looking more closely at it, they also saw what appeared to be body parts of bio-mechanical creatures among the debris. They couldn't tell if any of these parts were from a Matoran, but just the thought of it was very horrifying to them. None of them could have possibly imagined that such a thing could even be real.

After a few minutes, Littlefoot stepped forward. Gathering all the courage he could, he shouted, "Makuta, we are here!" If Makuta was here, there was now no doubt that he would show himself.

They saw a figure walking towards the center of the chamber. They had expected Makuta to be rather big, but this strange figure was small. As the figure got closer, they realized that it was a Matoran! The gang stared at him in complete disbelief.

This Matoran wore an infected Hau. The rest of his body had the same rusted and pitted appearance of his mask. The red eyes that looked through that infected mask were just like the ones Littlefoot had remembered seeing during his encounter with Makuta in that tunnel. The Matoran came to a stop directly beneath the swirling vortex. "Well done, kids," said the Matoran, who spoke in a rather dark voice. "I honestly did not expect you to make it this far. At least, not alive."

Littlefoot recognized that voice. That Matoran was definitely Makuta. "But you... you are..." said Littlefoot, who was still in absolute disbelief.

"Yes, I am that of which you have sworn allegiance to," replied Makuta.

Cera was not buying this at all. "Littlefoot, it has to be a trick," said Cera. Holding her Energy Stone with her tail, she held it up and said, "Come on, let's destroy him!"

"Destroy me?" said Makuta. "You cannot destroy me, no more than you can destroy the land, the sea, the air, or... the void." He gestured towards the swirling vortex above him.

"You are like the land, sea, and air?" asked Ruby. "But the land, sea, and air are full of life. We are a part of that life."

"Then you are a part of me, for I am nothing. It is out of nothing that you came, and it is into nothing that you will go. I stand with Mata Nui, side by side. I am his brother. The people of both of our worlds are builders, but look into their hearts, and you will find that they also have the power to destroy. I am that power. I am destruction. And I _will_ destroy you."

After listening to Makuta's speech, most of the gang were quite terrified. If what he was saying was true, there was no telling what he could do to them.

Cera, however, was still not buying it. The physical evidence standing in front of her just wasn't enough to convince her. "But how are you going to do that?" asked Cera. "You're nothing more than a Matoran."

"You expected something else?" asked Makuta. "Something like... THIS!" Suddenly, large tentacle-like structures made up of the flying debris shot out from the swirling vortex. One of them hit Makuta, destroying his body and carrying his mask, through which his red eyes still glowed, far above the young dinosaurs.

"Look out!" shouted Littlefoot, as he and his friends quickly scattered to avoid the tentacles that were now coming at them.

Ruby tried to run as fast as she could to outrun the tentacle that was chasing her. However, she was quickly approaching the edge of the cavern, so she needed to turn. This caused her to slow down enough to allow the tentacle to reach her and slam her against the wall.

Chomper reacted quickly and jumped out of the way of a tentacle that had tried to slam into him. Unfortunately, he failed to notice another one before it slammed into him from behind.

Spike was so terrified, he couldn't do anything before he was hit by another tentacle, sending him flying across the chamber.

Petrie and Ducky were doing everything they could to dodge the tentacles flying around, but they were quickly becoming exhausted.

Cera tried to charge straight at one of the oncoming tentacles, but it proved to be far stronger, sending her flying across the chamber.

Littlefoot was desperately dodging the flying tentacles, left and right. Eventually, one of them managed to hit him and slammed him onto the floor. He slowly got up and looked around. Everyone else had also been thrown onto the floor around the swirling vortex and were now getting back up. Despite all the pounding, everyone still held onto their Energy Stones.

The debris that made up the tentacles returned to the swirling vortex. The infected mask, which appeared to still be worn by Makuta, looked down at the gang. Makuta laughed evilly at the pathetic young dinosaurs that lay fallen before him.

Littlefoot decided that enough was enough. Something had to be done now. "Guys, the Energy Stones!" shouted Littlefoot. "We have to use them now!" Holding his Energy Stone with his tail, Littlefoot held it up at Makuta and focused on stopping him. Although he still had no idea what element his Energy stone possessed, he concentrated on using it to defeat Makuta. About a second later, a beam of light shot from the Energy Stone and hit the swirling vortex. _Light!_ thought Littlefoot. _So that must be the element of my Energy Stone!_ Although Littlefoot was amazed to see such a thing happen, he didn't let it distract him. However, Makuta seemed hardly affected by the Energy Stone.

"It's not enough!" exclaimed Littlefoot. "We have to do this together!"

"How do we use the Energy Stones?" asked Cera, who was clearly more desperate than the others for an answer to that question.

"Focus on using your element to stop Makuta!"

The others quickly understood what Littlefoot wanted them to do. Cera, who held the Energy Stone of Fire with her tail, held it up and envisioned Makuta being consumed by fire. The result was a stream of flame being shot from the Energy Stone towards Makuta. Surprisingly, the heat was not burning her at all.

Ruby followed Littlefoot and Cera with the Energy Stone of Ice. Soon after she began imagining Makuta being encased in a thick layer of ice, a stream of snow and ice was shot at Makuta from the Energy Stone. She was also surprised that she didn't feel any coldness in her hands from the snow and ice.

Next was Ducky with the Energy Stone of Water. She imagined Makuta struggling to stay afloat in a massive flood. The Energy Stone then shot a torrent of water at Makuta. Despite her small size, Ducky didn't feel any recoil from the water, as she had expected.

Petrie was next with the Energy Stone of Air. He envisioned Makuta being blown away by the strongest winds to ever exist. His Energy Stone unleashed a strong and continuous gust of wind at Makuta. Although he didn't feel any of the wind on himself, he was sure that it was working.

Chomper, who held the Energy Stone of Earth, imagined Makuta succumbing to the force of an earthquake. Unlike the other Energy Stones, his didn't seem to be working. He tried to focus harder, but he briefly lost his grip on the stone. Due to his small stature, he was still touching the Energy Stone when it touched the ground, which quickly caused a crack to form in the ground. When he noticed what had just happened, he fully understood the element he was about to use. Instead of holding up his Energy Stone, he stuck it in the ground and concentrated on stopping Makuta. The Energy Stone unleashed a blast of Earth energy, causing a series of cracks to form in the ground, which headed straight towards the location directly beneath the swirling vortex.

Spike, who held the Energy Stone of Stone in his mouth, was the only one who was not using his Energy Stone. When he saw Chomper quickly nod at him, he knew exactly what to do. He stuck his Energy Stone in the ground and envisioned Makuta being crushed by a massive pile of large rocks. This sent a shockwave through the ground directed at Makuta. Where the energies of Earth and Stone came together, they both shot straight upwards, hitting Makuta.

The combination of all seven elemental energies was too much for Makuta. The swirling vortex collapsed and the parts and debris that had been caught in it now fell to the floor. However, the infected mask that was Makuta still hovered in the middle of the chamber.

"Leave this universe now!" declared Littlefoot to Makuta. "Go back to where you came from!"

"Very well then," said Makuta. "I will leave your pathetic universe, but not without telling you this: We will meet again one day. And when we do, victory won't be so easy for you. In fact, I will be the one who will stand victorious. And there is nothing you can do to stop me." And with that, the red eyes that showed his presence vanished. The now lifeless mask fell to the floor of the chamber.

The gang was silent for about a minute. "Is he gone?" asked Chomper.

"Yes, Chomper," replied Littlefoot after a few seconds. "We won't have to worry about him anymore."

"So... how are we going to get out of here?" asked Cera.

"I guess we have to go back to where we started," replied Littlefoot. He then turned around and headed out of the chamber. His friends decided to follow him.

Carrying their Energy Stones, the gang walked out of the chamber and through the partially opened doorway. They passed their abandoned armor. It was obvious that there was no way to bring the armor with them to the surface, so they just kept on walking. They passed the destroyed towers. Strangely, the fallen Manas were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Makuta had taken them with him back to his universe.

Finally, they arrived at the cavern where they had arrived and first found their armor. They quickly spotted the platforms on the floor that were originally part of the Kini-Nui temple. They believed that if these platforms brought them down here, then perhaps they could bring them back to the surface. The gang stepped onto each of the platforms they had stood on when they had descended. Once everyone was in their correct place, the platforms began to ascend.

* * *

Ali was startled when the stones around the sand pit suddenly loosened themselves and slid back beneath the floor of the temple. She backed up a bit and saw, to her surprise and relief, Littlefoot and the others rise up from within the temple. "You're back! You made it!" she exclaimed excitedly.

The Matoran turned to Ali when they heard her say this. They were pleasantly surprised to see Littlefoot and his friends had just returned from their confrontation with Makuta.

"You're alive!" exclaimed Takua as he ran up to his friends. He then smiled and said, "Rock-heads, you could've been Makuta-bones."

The gang obviously knew he was joking. "Could've been, but we're not," said Littlefoot.

The gang began to laugh about that comment. Takua and Ali quickly joined in the laughter. Eventually, virtually every Matoran in the area was laughing in joy with them, and they definitely deserved to do so. After all, this was a day for them to celebrate.

Even though he had merely retreated, Makuta had just been defeated for the first time in a thousand years.


	51. A Way Home

**Chapter 50**

**A Way Home**

The two battles had lasted for just over half of the day. Word of the victory quickly reached the six villages. In each village, their Turaga asked everyone, Matoran and dinosaurs, to come with them to Kini-Nui to celebrate.

Once everyone arrived at the Kini-Nui temple, the Turaga asked the two groups of the battle to tell of their heroic actions earlier that day. The gang was proud to hear that, when all hope had seemed lost, virtually every defense force in the valley had come to the rescue. Everyone, especially the families of the gang, was just as proud when they heard how the gang had fought the battle beneath the temple.

When the gang mentioned how they had used the Energy Stones to defeat Makuta, the Matoran were just as amazed as the dinosaurs were. To the Matoran, the gang had seemed to have used the same elemental powers possessed only by the Toa. Clearly, these Energy Stones were very special.

After the two stories had been told, the Turaga stepped forward and made an announcement. "I and the other Turaga have decided that today's battle and the search for the Energy Stones that made it possible deserve to be recorded on a wall of history," announced Turaga Vakama. "As for who will be the one to record these events, that decision shall now be made by the Turaga and herd leaders of the Great Valley."

The decision was quick and unanimous. Everyone agreed that Takua should be the one to record these events, as he was the only Matoran who always stayed with the gang the whole time.

Turaga Vakama turned to Takua and asked, "Will you accept the honor to be the Chronicler of these events?"

"Yes," replied Takua. "I would proudly accept such an honor."

With that decision made, Turaga Onewa tapped Vakama on the shoulder and whispered, "I think we need to discuss what should be done with the Energy Stones."

Turaga Vakama agreed and said to the gathered crowd, "We would appreciate it if you could wait a moment while we discuss something of importance."

The crowd agree and waited for the Turaga to finish their discussion between themselves.

When they were finished, Turaga Vakama turned to the crowd and announced, "I and the other Turaga have agreed that, in the event that the Matoran find a way to return to their home, the Energy Stones shall be left in this universe. It is clear that those stones can give anyone the power of a Toa, so we believe that it is best that we leave them in good hands that we know we can trust."

With the gathering now over, everyone spent the rest of the day celebrating the victory. Some dinosaurs danced to the cheerful music that was played by some Le-Matoran. Other dinosaurs cheered as they watched some Po-Matoran play a few rounds of Koli. The elderly dinosaurs, including Littlefoot's grandparents, discussed many interesting subjects with the Turaga. Overall, it was a great day of celebration.

* * *

The next day began on a rather sad note for Ruby. With the threat of Makuta gone, Ruby's family no longer had any reason to stay in the Great Valley. Ruby, along with her friends and a few Matoran, walked with her family until they reached the edge of the Great Valley.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" asked Ruby to her parents. "This is a much better place to live in than the place we have always lived in."

"That may be true, but this place just isn't our home," replied Ruby's father. "Besides, we have learned many things during our stay, and we feel that it is our duty to teach these lessons to the herds outside of the Great Valley."

"However, this valley is such a great place that I think we might decide to visit this place every once in a while," added Ruby's mother.

"That is a good thing for me to hear. A good thing to hear that is," commented Ruby.

Once they arrived at the edge of the valley, the gang said their goodbyes to Ruby's family. Among the Matoran who also came to say goodbye were Takua, Kopeke, Hahli, and Hafu. Matoro couldn't come because he had work to do in Ko-Koro.

Hafu had been carrying something with him, but nobody could tell what it was because he had it covered with a piece of cloth. Before the final goodbyes were said, Hafu walked up to Ruby's family and said, "Before you leave, I would like to give you something. A special request from Ruby." He removed the cloth to reveal a small statuette of Matoro. Ruby's family was rather surprised by this, but they accepted the gift anyway. "She asked me to carve this and give it to you so that you will always be reminded about who it was that had saved your lives."

Ruby's father was sure that that was what Ruby had said to Hafu, but he wasn't so sure if she had been honest about that. He had been hoping that Ruby would have gotten over such feelings she had for Matoro, but perhaps his initial feeling about the situation had been true after all. Regardless, he remained convinced that she would eventually come to realize the improbability of such a relationship.

After a few final goodbyes, Ruby's family left the Great Valley. Most of the group then headed back into the valley. Eventually, Ruby and Hahli were the only ones who remained at the edge of the valley. Hahli put her hand on Ruby's shoulder and calmly said, "Don't worry about them so much. This is their choice, after all."

"I guess you are right about that. Right about that you are," said Ruby.

"Come on, let's get back into the valley." The two of them then turned around and headed back into the valley.

* * *

Takua and his friends arrived at Kini-Nui just in time to see Cera's father help a few Po-Matoran unload the last of a few massive blank tablets from a cart. They assumed that he had been hauling that cart from Po-Koro, where the tablets had been quarried.

The Turaga had mentioned during yesterday's celebration that they had decided to place the Wall of History in Ta-Koro. However, Takua was still banished from that village, so they decided to cart the massive tablets from the quarry near Po-Koro to Kini-Nui, where Takua would record the recent events on them. Once he was done, the tablets would be carted to Ta-Koro, where they would be erected to form part of the planned Wall of History. With the possibility of not only one day returning to Mata Nui, but also of the Toa arriving and truly defeating Makuta, Turaga Vakama decided to leave room for a lot more history to be recorded in the future.

Once the massive tablets had been unloaded, the Po-Matoran headed back to Po-Koro. As Cera's father also left, he said something about Tria being mad at him if he was late again, but the gang didn't quite hear most of it.

Earlier that day, Turaga Nokama had given Takua a Chronicler's Staff, which she had crafted a few days earlier, to etch words on the tablets. Since Takua was not officially entitled Chronicler, he was told to return the staff to Nokama when he was done with it.

Takua decided to start at the beginning of the day the villages arrived in the Great Valley. As Takua began etching words onto the first blank tablet, the gang watched with curiosity.

"What are you doing?" asked Ali. Since she had only recently met Takua, she was far less familiar with Matoran concepts than her friends were.

"I am recording all the events that have happened since the Matoran first arrived in this universe," replied Takua. "In other words, I'm writing them down."

"Why?" asked Ali.

"Because it makes it easier to tell these stories. Let me put it this way, instead of having to memorize every part of the story, you only need to read what is written here in order to tell these stories exactly the way they should be told."

"So you're saying that you can tell people stories without having to remember the whole thing?" asked Cera.

"That's right," replied Takua. "Of course, you have to write it all down first, and I think I could use a little help from you guys with a few parts."

"Don't worry, Takua. Of course we'll help you," said Littlefoot.

As Takua recorded the events, he spoke them aloud so that his friends, who still couldn't read, would know what part he was at so they could tell him anything that he might have missed or not known about. It actually didn't take them long to get through the events of the first few days.

* * *

A few hours later, Ali's herd arrived at the Great Valley. Ali was the first one to notice their arrival. "Hey, it's my herd!" she exclaimed in happiness. She then ran up to her mother while Takua and the gang watched her happily rejoin her herd.

"Nice to see you made it out of there alive," said Takua to the herd.

"A few of us suffered some injuries in that battle, but we will recover," replied the leader of the herd, the Old One. "Now, we only came here to find Ali, who we heard had safely escaped with you. We must get back on our migration routes, so we will stay only to get some lunch and then we will be on our way."

Ali sighed. "I guess this means we won't see each other for a while," she said to her friends.

"Yeah, I was hoping that you could have stayed for a while," said Littlefoot. "But I guess Takua was right, they did know to find you here."

"Speaking of him." Ali turned towards Takua. "I just want to say thanks for everything you did. I'm very glad I could call you a friend."

"So am I, Ali," said Takua. "So am I."

Once the herd was finished eating lunch, the gang said their goodbyes to Ali. The herd then left the valley through the pass near Saurus Rock. The Po-Matoran carvers had finished carving Saurus Rock only yesterday, but there was still all the scaffolding around it that had to be removed. One of the notable features of Saurus Rock was that ring of teeth around the neck, so the carvers decided to not only smoothen the surfaces to make it more noticeable but also replace the crude replacement tooth that had been left there by Littlefoot some time ago. They had carved a replacement tooth from the same type of rock that made up Saurus Rock and stuck it into place with mortar. None of the carvers believed in the superstition that damaging Saurus Rock would bring bad luck. They had even joked that by adding a replacement tooth that was very close to the original, they had erased all traces of bad luck.

By the time Ali's herd passed by Saurus Rock, the last of the scaffolding had been removed. Back in the valley, the gang looked in awe at the new Saurus Rock. The carvers had done a great job smoothing out all the surfaces. The most notable difference was the head, particularly because there was now a face on it. As Takua looked at the face on Saurus Rock, he couldn't help but notice that it looked rather similar to a certain friend of his.

After taking some time to appreciate the statue dedicated to the Great Valley, Takua and the gang went back to work recording the events of the search for the Energy Stones.

* * *

Takua decided to stop for the day at the part just before where the search for the Energy Stones was about to begin. The sun was setting and it was starting to get dark, even though he could have taken out his lightstone.

The gang was just about to leave to go to their nests when Takua noticed Matoro approaching them. "Matoro? What are you doing here?" asked Takua.

"And what have you been doing all day?" asked Ruby, who was concerned rather than angry. "I really wanted you to be with us when we said goodbye to my family."

"Turaga Nuju insisted that I stayed in Ko-Koro today," replied Matoro. "He said that he found a rather important prophecy and needed my help to decipher it. It turns out that it was a wise decision. I came here to tell you about that prophecy, now that we have deciphered it. It says, 'Seven days after the Master of Shadow returns to his world, the six villages will follow'."

"What does that mean?" asked Chomper.

"I think the first part is referring to Makuta," replied Littlefoot. "I think that, when we defeated him, all we did was send him back to his universe. The second part... I think it says that the six Matoran villages will also be sent back to their universe."

"'Seven days after...' does that mean we only have a week before we go back to Mata-Nui?" asked Takua.

"I believe so," replied Matoro.

The gang had mixed feelings about this revelation. They were happy to hear that the Matoran now knew they would soon return home, but they were also sad because Takua was one of their closest friends. They didn't want to see him leave, but they somehow knew there was nothing they could do about it.

Matoro turned around and was about to leave when Takua stopped him. "Wait!" said Takua. "I just want to know one more thing. After all that we have been through these last few days, what do the Matoran think of me?"

Matoro sighed. "I'll be honest with you, even though I am not part of this crowd," replied Matoro. "Compared to your friends, most Matoran see you as nothing more than the one who simply tagged along. They consider your friends the heroes, but not you."

As Matoro left, Takua simply stood there, thinking about what he had just heard. Finally, he said, "Well, I guess I should've expected that."

"What do you mean?" asked Ducky.

"Think about it, you were the ones who actually found the Energy Stones, not me. You were the ones who stopped Makuta, but all I did was help a few other Matoran with guard duty. I shouldn't be surprised about this, but I guess I was hoping for something better."

"Don't worry, Takua," said Littlefoot. "I'm sure you'll get the respect of the Matoran someday."

"Thanks, Littlefoot, but I have a feeling that won't happen unless I find another set of stones of great power that will save them, only this time on my own."

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen," said Cera, sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, you never know what destiny has in store for you. Anyway, it's very late and we should probably get some sleep. We only have about a week left before I have to leave, and the sooner we finish working on these records, the more time well will have to do anything we want."

The gang agreed and headed back to their nests for the night.


	52. The Last Day

**Chapter 51**

**The Last Day**

With less than a week left until the Matoran would leave, possibly forever, Takua and his friends worked as quickly as they could to record the events of the search for the Energy Stones. As the week passed by, the Matoran found out the hard way that the Great Valley had not always been the way they had seen it.

On day two, the day after the gang found out that the Matoran would soon leave, most of the snow and ice in the western part of the valley began to melt. Fortunately for the Ko-Matoran, the immediate vicinity of their village was spared of this meltdown, so they wouldn't have to worry about protecting the structures in Ko-Koro.

On day three, the lake in the eastern part of the valley began to dry up. To prevent Ga-Koro from basically becoming beached, Onu-Matoran miners volunteered to build a large barrier around the village to keep the water in. There was not much else the miners could do anyway, as there were suddenly no resources to be found in the Great Mine. Some other miners decided to take advice from Onepu and patch up the hole in the Great Wall that had been blasted away by Nuparu many days earlier.

On day four, the large lake of lava that surrounded Ta-Koro began to cool and harden. The guardsmen in control of the gates decided to leave the bridge raised. They wanted to make sure that, if the lava cooled to the point where the columns that formed the bridge just couldn't be raised or lowered anymore, everyone would still have safe access to the village.

On day five, rain fell in Po-Koro. Predictably, the Po-Matoran were quite panicked at seeing such unusual weather. Koli matches that day were canceled, while carvers used everything they could find to cover their works in a desperate attempt to protect them from the rain. On the other side of the valley, the problem was just the opposite. The jungle and swampland surrounding Le-Koro had been receiving a lack of rainfall. As a result of this drought, most of the plants in the area began to die and were being replaced by the kinds of plants usually seen in the rest of the valley.

Takua and the gang finished their work by the end of day five. The massive tablets were then carted off to Ta-Koro. The gang decided to spend the rest of that day telling Takua about the rest of their adventures that they had not yet mentioned to him.

* * *

Day six arrived. As the day began, the Turaga each asked two or three Matoran from their villages to meet up with them at the Kini-Nui temple for a special meeting. On his way to the temple, Turaga Vakama encountered Takua and his friends and asked them to attend that special meeting as well.

Once everyone had arrived for the meeting, the gang recognized every Matoran who was there with them: Takua, Jala, Kapura, Maku, Kotu, Hahli, Kongu, Tamaru, Matoro, Kopeke, Huki, Hafu, Onepu, Taipu, and Nuparu. Every Matoran who had helped them in their search for the Energy Stones was here, and they were wondering why the Turaga would gather them for this meeting, but nobody else.

Now that everyone was here, the Turaga began their special meeting. "Fellow Matoran, we are gathered here to announce our plans for the events of today," announced Vakama. "As we all know by now, tomorrow is the day we will return to our home universe. That day may have never been allowed to come, had Makuta not been defeated for the first time. Makuta's defeat, in turn, could not have been done, had it not been for the heroic actions of seven brave young dinosaurs, who now stand here with us." He gestured towards the gang, most of whom felt they were getting a bit more praise than they actually deserved. "But their actions could not have been done, had it not been for the assistance of the rest of you. Therefore, the other Turaga and I believe that it is appropriate that we show them our gratitude by having all of you spend our final day with them the same way they would enjoy any other day."

The other Matoran had mixed reactions to this announcement. "Are you sure this is such a wise decision?" asked Jala. "There are some guardsmen who still won't stop complaining about 'the babysitting duties they had to do', their words."

"At least I don't have to babysit Tricia today," mumbled Cera to herself.

"I think it's a great idea," said Taipu, who was clearly enthusiastic about it.

"I suppose it's a reasonable way to show our gratitude," stated Matoro.

"Come on, Jala," pleaded Hahli. "Can't you just relax and have a good time for just one day? Please?"

Jala sighed and said, "Alright, but just for today."

"Excellent! Now go on and have a good time," said Vakama. "The rest of us will prepare for our departure tomorrow." The Turaga then left to go back to their villages.

"So what do you guys want to do first?" asked Takua to his friends.

"How about we go to the Thundering Falls?" suggested Ducky. "I would like to play in the water. Yep, yep, yep."

"Not the water!" exclaimed Hafu. "Anything but the water!"

"Relax, Hafu, you don't have to come in the water with us," assured Takua. "You can just watch us from the shore."

"Okay, I'll watch. But I won't be coming anywhere near that stuff."

"I'll watch you guys, too," said Huki. "But I doubt I'll be as far away from the water as him." He pointed behind himself at Hafu, who then glared at him for that comment.

"Alright, let's go!" said Littlefoot. The group of seven dinosaurs and fifteen Matoran then headed for the Thundering Falls.

* * *

When they arrived at the river just beneath the Thundering falls, the gang quickly jumped into the water. Takua and the Ga-Matoran were quick to follow. Some of the Matoran chose not to follow the gang into the water, either because they preferred to watch or simply didn't like water. The Matoran who chose to stay out of the water were Huki, Hafu, Kopeke, Kongu, Onepu, Jala, and Kapura.

At first, most of them were simply swimming around. After a few minutes, Tamaru climbed out of the water and began climbing a nearby tree. He walked along a large branch and grabbed a nearby vine. He then swung out on the vine across the water. "Tree-swinger!" he shouted as he let go of the vine and hit the water with a big splash. Everyone in the water laughed in joy as he resurfaced.

Inspired by Tamaru, the gang and a few Matoran decided to try jumping into the water in their own creative ways. Nuparu decided to observe each jump and point out what he thought was impressive about each of them. Some of them were rather simple, while others were quite creative. Takua attempted a back-flip into the water, but ended up hitting the water in a belly-flop.

Taipu got out of the water and went a few meters away from the edge of it. "Make way!" he shouted as he ran towards the water with a big grin on his face. "Rock splash!" He jumped into the air and held himself into a fetal position as he hit the water, creating a massive splash.

Much of the splash hit Cera, which greatly irritated her. "Hey! You're going to pay for that!" she exclaimed as Taipu resurfaced. She then smacked her tail across the water, sending a splash at Taipu.

Taipu chuckled and said, "Okay, let's play it your way." He then smacked his arm across the water, intending to splash Cera. But his aim was poor and he ended up splashing Littlefoot.

"Alright, game on!" exclaimed Littlefoot, before smacking his tail across the water and splashing Taipu. Soon enough, everyone in the water was splashing each other and having fun with it.

As this was going on, Huki looked back and asked, "Are you sure you don't want to come any closer?"

Hafu was standing much further away from the water than the others. He was busy etching a drawing into the side of a tree. "No thank you," he replied. "I'm not going anywhere closer to the water. Especially with that splash-happy Onu-Matoran in there."

Tamaru burst out laughing at the mention of the word "splash-happy".

Petrie was flying around above the water to avoid being splashed. He then flew towards Kongu and landed on top of his head. "Why you no go in water?" he asked.

"Le-Matoran aren't exactly fond of water," replied Kongu.

"Tamaru Le-Matoran and he in the water."

"He's an exception. He's a good swimmer, far better than any other Le-Matoran."

"It's true," admitted Tamaru as he swam by on his back.

Meanwhile, Maku sighed and said, "I sometimes wish Huki would at least try to get into the water every once in a while."

Cera was nearby and happened to hear this. "Don't worry, I'll get him in the water," she said. "Just keep him distracted for me." She then climbed out of the water and hid behind a nearby bush.

Maku wasn't sure if she could agree with Cera's methods, but she decided to go along with it for once. She swam to the edge of the water and said, "Huki! Over here!"

Huki noticed Maku and walked over to her.

"We're supposed to be having fun today," said Maku. "Would you please come into the water with us?"

"I don't know," replied Huki. "You know I'm not a good swimmer."

Suddenly, Cera jumped out from behind the bush and charged at Huki, knocking him into the water. He flailed his arms and legs around and shouted, "Help! I can't swim!"

"Relax, Huki, the water's not that deep here," said Maku.

Huki stopped flailing around and stood on the bottom of the river. The water only went up to his waist here at the edge of the water.

Cera then burst out laughing and exclaimed, "You should have seen the look on your face!"

"That's it, you asked for it," said Huki as he climbed out of the water and approached Cera. She was still laughing a lot, so she had no idea what he was doing until it was too late. Huki picked up Cera and shouted, "Threehorn away!" He then tossed her out into the water. When she resurfaced, she saw Huki laughing at her. "Now who's laughing?"

"How about that? Soaked by a Po-Matoran!" said Cera.

Everyone else couldn't help but laugh at hearing such an ironic comment.

* * *

Once everyone was done in the water, Cera wanted to get even with Huki and decided to challenge him to a game of Koli.

When Huki heard this, he simply laughed at the idea. Hardly anyone was surprised by his reaction. After all, he was the Koli champion and almost never lost a game of Koli.

Cera wasn't going to let this hold her back. She decided to make things more interesting, and asked Littlefoot and Spike to also play.

Huki accepted the challenge and asked Hafu to set up a simple Koli field. Since the young dinosaurs would probably break their feet trying to kick a Koli ball, Huki agreed with his opponents to play with those lighter seeds.

While Hafu was setting up the Koli field, Huki decided to practice his Koli skills with the seeds, just to make sure he was as prepared as he could be. As he was practicing, Takua whispered to him, "Don't be so overconfident, Huki. I've played a few rounds of Koli with them and, believe me, you'll find it to be quite challenging to play against any dinosaur."

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Huki.

Once the Koli field was set up, Huki, Littlefoot, Cera, and Spike quickly took their positions in front of their goals. Takua threw the seeds onto the playing field and the game was on.

At first, Huki dominated like he always did. He managed to score a few points in the first minute of the game. Then things started to change. He managed to block one seed that was kicked towards him from Cera, but at the same time Littlefoot smacked another one with his tail, sending it flying passed Huki and into his goal.

Nearly every Matoran was very surprised at what they just saw. "Did he just score a goal against Huki!" exclaimed Hafu. "Nobody's ever been able to do that for years!"

"Can't say I didn't warn him," commented Takua.

As the game went on, Huki was very surprised by how much he was struggling. Eventually, despite going into overtime, he managed to beat Cera by one point. Although he had won, he was very exhausted. "Whew... that was the toughest game of Koli I've ever played," he said, breathing heavily. He decided to sit down on a nearby rock to rest. Maku decided to sit next to him to help him relax.

Once he was finished resting, Huki wanted to see if he could beat the gang at one of their games. The gang decided to play toss-the-seed with the Matoran. They described the rules to Huki as being similar to Koli, except there were only two goals but more than one person to a team. Also, catching, throwing, and running with the seed were also allowed.

All of the Matoran agreed to play at least one round of this game, so the gang picked who would be on their teams. The first team was Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike, Ruby, Takua, Kapura, Kotu, Kongu, Matoro, Hafu, and Nuparu. The other team was Cera, Petrie, Chomper, Jala, Maku, Hahli, Tamaru, Kopeke, Huki, Onepu, and Taipu.

Once everyone confirmed that they knew all the rules, the game was on. Huki was quick to snatch the seed. He ran for the goal and had a clear shot. But right after he threw it, Kapura suddenly went to the goal and intercepted the seed. Huki and a few of his teammates quite angry about this.

"No fair! Cheater!" shouted Cera.

"Hey! No special skills!" exclaimed Huki.

"It was never specified whether or not I was allowed to use my skill," replied Kapura with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, not anymore," Huki quickly stated. He then snatched the seed from Kapura's hands and tossed it into the goal, showing that he decided to ignore Kapura's interception. "Score one for my team!" He held his fist up to Cera, who returned the gesture by lightly hitting it with her front foot.

As the game went on, each Matoran showed their own way of playing this kind of game. When Kongu was passed the seed to him by Nuparu, he ran towards Cera, stepped on her back and jumped up from there, giving him a clear shot towards the goal. Hafu tried to run for the goal like Huki did, but Kopeke stuck his leg out and tripped him, causing the seed to fly out of his hands. Taipu then kicked the seed so hard that it flew by everyone before they had a chance to stop it from going into the goal. Matoro and Ruby did a very good job of working together as they scored another goal for their team.

Everyone had agreed at the beginning of the game that the first team to score seven goals would win. The score was now tied at six, so the next goal would win the game. Jala had the seed, but he was blocked in all directions. He then noticed Petrie flying overhead, so he tossed the seed to him. Petrie grabbed it with his feet, but he lost his grip on it after a few seconds. Takua caught the seed as it fell, then he ran towards the goal. Huki, Onepu, and Kopeke quickly moved to block him from scoring a goal. However, he noticed that Littlefoot was open, so he tossed the seed to him. Littlefoot smacked it with his tail and scored the winning point.

Everyone congratulated each other for such a well played game. It was already late in the afternoon, so Takua suggested that they spend the rest of the day by having the Matoran tell the gang about a few interesting events from their lives.

* * *

When dusk arrived, the Matoran decided that it was time to head back to their villages, so they all said their final goodbyes to them. Some didn't have much to say, while others had a lot more to say.

Besides Takua, Matoro was the last one to leave. Just before he left, Ruby hugged him and said, "I will miss you so much, Matoro. Miss you I will."

"Uh, Ruby? You do realize your friends are watching, right?" asked Matoro.

Ruby let go of Matoro and realized that he was right. Embarrassed, she asked, "You won't tell anyone about this, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm excellent at keeping secrets." Matoro then said goodbye to everyone and left for Ko-Koro.

The gang noticed that Takua was the only Matoran who was still with them. "What about you, Takua?" asked Littlefoot. "Aren't you going to go home with the other Matoran?"

"I don't know," replied Takua. "I mean, I think I probably should go with them, but I'm not sure if I want to go with them."

"Why do you say that?" asked Chomper.

"You guys are the best friends I've ever had. I don't want think about the possibility of never seeing you ever again after today."

The gang then heard someone approaching them. They turned around and saw Turaga Vakama nearby. "Turaga Vakama, why are you here?" asked Takua.

"Just some last minute business to take care of," replied Vakama. "Littlefoot, may I speak with you in private?"

Littlefoot wasn't sure what Vakama wanted to talk to him about, but he agreed. The two of them left and headed down the path Vakama had taken to get here. Once he was sure they were far enough away that the others couldn't hear them, Littlefoot asked, "What is it that you want to talk to me about?"

"I have a feeling that what I am about to tell you might be very emotional for you," said Vakama. "First of all, I have a very rare ability to have visions of the future. I may have not always liked having such an ability, but I have since grown used to it. What I'm here to tell you is that, earlier today, I had another vision. I spoke with an adult Longneck who claimed to be your mother."

At the very mention of those words, Littlefoot was struck with a painful reminder. His mother had been dead for years, and although he knew she would always be with him, he felt that he would never be able to speak with her again. If what Turaga Vakama was saying was true... He just had to hear more about this vision Vakama had. "What did she say?" he asked.

"She said that she was very proud of your efforts, to this day," continued Vakama. "You managed to make friends with different kinds of dinosaurs, including a Sharptooth, something that had never been done before. She was especially proud of you and your friends when you found the Energy Stones and used them to defeat Makuta."

Littlefoot felt tears running down his cheeks as he listened. He trusted Turaga Vakama as much as any other Matoran would, so he knew that what he was saying must be true. Although he didn't hear her voice, he knew that it was his mother who was speaking to him through Vakama's vision.

"She also told me that, although you have just completed your first legend, it will not be the last. There are many more challenges that lie ahead, and you must be prepared for them. You and your friends must remain united, and you must follow your duties." Vakama placed his hand on Littlefoot's shoulder. "Your destinies are far greater than you can possibly imagine."

After a few seconds, Littlefoot wiped away the tears from his face and said, "Thank you, Turaga Vakama. That means a lot to me."

"You are welcome, young one. Now let us rejoin your friends. I have one more thing to tell you all."

Littlefoot agreed and the two of them headed back to the clearing where Takua and his friends were waiting.


	53. Departure

**Chapter 52**

**Departure**

Littlefoot and Turaga Vakama rejoined Takua and his friends. As they arrived, Cera asked Littlefoot, "What did you and Turaga Vakama talk about?"

"It's best that you don't ask," replied Vakama. "It's... very personal."

Littlefoot nodded in agreement.

"Now, before I return to Ta-Koro, I have one more thing to inform all of you about."

"And what might that be?" asked Takua.

"Takua, in order to ensure that you return to Mata Nui with the rest of us, you will be allowed back into the village, but only until after we have returned tomorrow. I know, it will probably be tough to say goodbye to your friends, but I am certain that you will make the right choice and return with us. I expect to see you in the village before I turn in for the night. Farewell, young ones." Vakama then turned around and began heading back to Ta-Koro.

The gang was silent for a moment, thinking over what Vakama had said. Finally, Chomper asked, "Are you really going to go back to Mata Nui?"

"I think I should," replied Takua. "Turaga Vakama usually knows what's best, and I've always trusted him. Also, he came all the way here from Ta-Koro, just to tell me that I will be allowed back in the village to make sure I go back with the rest of the Matoran. For him to do all of that, there must be a big reason why he wants me to go back with them."

After a few seconds of silence, Ruby said, "Well, you never know what destiny might have in store for you."

Takua thought about what Ruby just had said, and it occurred to him that it was probably more truthful than she realized. "I think you're right, Ruby. You guys may be the best friends I've ever had, but maybe... Maybe my destiny doesn't lie with you, but with the Matoran."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Littlefoot.

"I honestly can't see why not. After all, you're the ones who found the Energy Stones. All I did was help you along the way, just like all the other Matoran who helped us. Everything that happened over the past few weeks, that was your story. I'm sure I'll find my own, someday."

"It is so sad to think that we may never see you again. It is, it is," said Ducky.

"Yeah, I hate to think about that, too." Takua then came up with an idea. He took off his backpack and dumped its contents on the ground. "I want to give you guys something to remember me by, so I want you to have all of this." He then quickly grabbed his lavaboard and put it back in his backpack. "Except for that."

"Why not?" asked Cera.

"Three reasons: It was a special gift to me from Turaga Vakama. None of you are skilled enough to use it properly. And I honestly don't see any reason any of you would want to use it."

"Good point," said Petrie.

Ducky picked up the lightstone and said, "I think I will take this. Some of my brothers and sisters are scared of the dark. They are, they are. I think this will help them sleep better at night."

Spike licked Ducky to show that he approved of this idea.

Ducky giggled. "Spike thinks this is a good idea, too. Yep, yep, yep!"

Ruby picked up the flute and said, "I don't know if I will be interested in trying to play this, but I guess I'll take it since I am probably the only one of us who is able to try to play this."

"But me wanted it," whined Petrie. "It remind me of sing-song Le-Koro."

"Don't worry, Petrie, you're more than welcome to borrow it anytime you want," said Chomper.

"Really?"

"Of course you can," replied Ruby. "We don't have to use this to remind us of good times."

"I guess that just leaves me with this," said Cera as she grabbed the canister that contained the heatstone. "I did find the Energy Stone of Fire. Heat and fire are pretty much the same thing, right?"

"I guess so," replied Littlefoot. He then noticed the only item left was the throwing disk that had been given to them at the beginning of the search for the Energy Stones. He turned to Takua and pointed at the disk with his foot. "You can take that back. I don't think any of us will need it anymore."

"I guess I'll give it to Jala," said Takua as he put the throwing disk in his backpack. "The Ta-Koro Guard will probably need that more than me."

"Are you sure you don't want these things anymore?"

"Don't worry, those are things that I had collected during my many travels across Mata Nui," said Takua. "I'm sure I won't have any problems finding replacements for them."

"Thanks, Takua. I just wish we could also give you something to remember us by."

"I don't think that'll be necessary. Remember, we wrote all those records for the Wall of History. I can always read over those records again so that I'll always remember you."

"But those records are in Ta-Koro," said Cera. "Aren't you still going to be banished from there?"

"They can't banish me forever. I promise you that, as soon as I get back to Mata Nui, I'll do everything I can to regain the trust of the Matoran."

"I hope that you do regain their trust. I do, I do," said Ducky.

"So do I, Ducky. So do I." After a few seconds of silence, Takua sighed and said, "Well, I guess this is it." He put his backpack on. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention something. After we leave tomorrow, take a look at what the other Matoran left in the place where Littlefoot introduced me to the rest of you." He then began walking away while looking back and waving to the gang. "Goodbye, guys. I hope we can see each other again, someday."

"Goodbye, Takua," said his friends at once.

"I hope we can see each other again, too," added Littlefoot.

Takua then turned around and headed down the path to Ta-Koro.

The gang continued to watch Takua until they couldn't see him anymore. By that time, it was late in the evening, and their parents were calling them home. Nobody said anything as they headed back to their nests. They were very sad to see a very close friend leave their world and possibly never come back.

As Littlefoot laid down in his nest that night, he couldn't help but look at the tree where Takua had slept for the past few weeks. It felt strange not seeing Takua there anymore. Despite his sadness, he eventually managed to fall asleep.

* * *

The next morning, every dinosaur in the Great Valley gathered at the Stone Circle in the center of the valley. Nearby, the Kini-Nui temple was still there, but everyone knew that it would soon be gone, along with the six villages.

The gang stared at the temple, knowing that once it was gone, it was possible that they would never see Takua ever again. Some of them had considered going to Ta-Koro for one more goodbye, but since they had no idea exactly when the Matoran would leave, they didn't want to take any chances and accidentally end up going to Mata Nui with the Matoran. Their families were more important to them than a single friend.

Everyone waited for about an hour. Finally, the departure of the Matoran began the same way their arrival had. Seven large beams of light appeared, coming from one point in the sky. One of those light beams shone directly on the Kini-Nui temple. The light beams grew so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes. After a few seconds, the light beams grew dimmer before fading away completely. Everyone uncovered their eyes and saw that the temple was no longer there. The Matoran had returned to their home.

Now that the event was over, the dinosaurs left the area to continue with their lives. Eventually, the gang were the only ones left there. They continued to stare at where the Kini-Nui temple had once been, thinking about their friend, Takua.

After many minutes of silence, Petrie asked, "Now what?"

A few seconds later, Littlefoot suddenly remembered something. "Wait a minute, Takua said he wanted us to see something after he left!" he said. "He said it was in that clearing where the rest of you first met him. Come on, let's go see what it is!"

The gang followed Littlefoot as he headed for the clearing where he had first introduced Takua to his friends.

When the gang arrived at the small clearing in the forest, they were amazed at what they saw. It was a large rock that had clearly been carved. Its basic shape was a dome. Carved onto the top of the dome shape was a Pakari mask, the same type of mask that was worn by Takua. Facing away from the center of the dome in equal directions were the heads of seven dinosaurs. But these weren't just any dinosaurs, they were them. This carved rock appeared to be a statue dedicated to them. The most notable feature of this statue was that, below each of their respective heads, placed inside a slot, was each of the Energy Stones they had used.

"How did this get here without us noticing it?" asked Cera.

"Do you think Takua asked a Po-Matoran to carve this for us?" asked Chomper.

"I don't think it really matters how this thing got here, or who made it," replied Littlefoot. "I think what this shows us is that the Matoran will always remember us."

"Right," agreed Ruby. "We might not see each other again, but at least we will always remember each other."

"Will we really not see Takua ever again?" asked Ducky.

"To tell you the truth, I think we will see him again, someday," replied Littlefoot.

"What makes you say that?" asked Cera.

"Our search for the Energy Stones was our first legend, but I have a feeling that it won't be the last. I think that we will soon face a much bigger journey than anything we've ever been through. But for now, let's just enjoy our lives while we still can."

Everyone agreed with Littlefoot. As they left the clearing, they all took one last look at the statue with the Energy Stones. They were now confident that, one way or another, they would again meet their friend Takua, someday.


	54. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Immediately after the event, the Matoran took a good look beyond their villages to see if they had actually returned to Mata Nui. Once they had confirmed that they had indeed returned home, Takua's banishment from Ta-Koro was reinstated. He ended up spending the next few weeks living on a beach near the village, even though he continued to travel around the island like he always did.

One morning, Jala came to Takua and told him that Turaga Whenua had an important task for him to do. Little did anyone know that it was the beginning of Takua's own quest for stones of great power: the Toa Stones. Once these stones had been collected and brought to Kini-Nui, they would summon the Toa to the island, so they could begin their quest to awaken the Great Spirit, Mata Nui.

Journeying across the island, Takua managed to find each of the Toa Stones. Onua's Toa Stone was hidden in a small section of a cave system deep within the Great Mine. Gali's Toa Stone was hidden at the top of the coastal cliffs just south of Ga-Koro. Pohatu's Toa Stone was guarded by a Nui-Jaga, which Takua managed to defeat. Lewa's Toa Stone was hidden inside a large tree in the jungle near Le-Koro. Kopaka's Toa Stone was buried under a deep layer of snow in the drifts outside of Ko-Koro. And Tahu's Toa Stone was hidden inside the largest volcano on the island.

When Takua finally arrived at Kini-Nui, the six Turaga were there and told him that, in order to summon the Toa, he had to place the Toa Stones in the sand pit at the center of the temple, just like the Energy Stones. Takua did that, but the result was different from the Energy Stones. Once the Toa Stones were in place, beams of energy shot straight up into the sky from each of them. Takua was unfortunate enough to be caught in one of those beams, which threw him high into the air and resulted in him slamming into the beach near Ta-Koro. He survived, but the impact gave him a severe case of amnesia, causing him to forget everything, including his name.

Despite having lost all of his memories, Takua managed to fulfill his promise to the gang and eventually regained the trust of the Matoran. He did this by helping the villages when they faced major problems or disasters. He rescued Turaga Nokama and the Ga-Matoran when they were trapped inside a sunken hut, as a result of a Tarakava attack. He discovered that an epidemic in Po-Koro was caused by a new type of Koli ball, which turned out to have been stored in a cave with infected masks. He helped Onu-Matoran miners regain access to a Lightstone mine that had been cut off by a lava flow. He helped the Gukko Force rescue Turaga Matau and many other Le-Matoran who had been captured by Nui-Rama.

Because of these selfless actions, Takua was officially entitled Chronicler. One of his first tasks as Chronicler was to gather a group of Matoran to protect Kini-Nui against the Rahi, while the Toa battled against Makuta. Once the temple was secured, Takua voluntarily found another way into Makuta's lair, so that he could personally watch the Toa defeat Makuta, allowing him to later record those events. After the battle, he came across a giant nest of insectoid machines called Bohrok and barely managed to escape. Finding himself on the same beach where his journey had started, Takua was informed by Turaga Vakama that, due to his brave and selfless acts, he was finally welcome back in Ta-Koro.

Continuing his role as Chronicler, Takua helped the villages in their defense against the Bohrok swarms. It wasn't until after the Toa had stopped the threat of the Bohrok for good that Takua finally got the opportunity to read what had already been recorded on the Wall of History. By reading over the events of the quest for the Energy Stones, he was finally reminded of all the great adventures he had on a far away world with seven young dinosaurs, whom he had considered the best friends he ever had.


	55. Author's Notes

**Author's Notes**

Looking back, I am very proud of myself for actually finishing this story. I'll admit that it might not be the best Land Before Time fanfic or Bionicle fanfic out there, but I think I did a good job in my effort of writing a crossover of these two very different subjects. I worked on this fanfic for two and a half years, but there's quite a story about how I came up with the idea for this fanfic.

Although I had been collecting Bionicle sets since the first ones came out in 2001, I wasn't a real fan until late 2003 and since then it has been a major part of my life. Like any other person would expect, I watched the Land Before Time movies as a kid and later lost interest. Then, in early 2007, I regained my interest in it, especially when I read all the great Land Before Time fanfics that were here at the time. Later that year, I found my way to The Gang of Five, a forum dedicated to The Land Before Time. I liked the fact that it was a rather small forum, so I decided to join that site.

Even before I joined The Gang of Five, I knew that there were lots of Bionicle fans and quite a number of Land Before Time fans at my age or older, but how many people were fans of both, like me? I had lots of ideas for a Land Before Time fanfic, but I decided to go with the one that I figured no one else but myself would attempt: a crossover of Land Before Time and Bionicle.

I started by asking myself, "How would these two worlds meet each other? Why would they be brought together? What challenges would they face?" One thing that immediately came to mind was that Takua, one of my favorite Bionicle characters, easily seemed like he would befriend Littlefoot and his friends. As for what they would do and what challenges they would face, those ideas frequently changed. By the time I got around to actually writing this fanfic, the idea I had at the time was of stones that would grant their user the elemental powers of a Toa, so I decided to stick with it. I decided to call these powerful stones the Stones of Elemental Energy, Energy Stones for short. As for the other part of the title of this fanfic, that was inspired by the name of the first part of the canon Bionicle storyline, Quest for the Masks.

By early 2009, I had reached chapter 43 when I decided to edit every chapter and improve them because my writing style seemed to have improved since I began writing and I didn't want people to see the more crude style of the earlier chapters anymore. Then, with the help of fellow Gang of Five member, Pangaea, I improved each chapter even further and eventually uploaded the finalized version here on this site.

I am planning to write a sequel to this story, so here's a preview of what to expect.

* * *

**Preview**

One year after the Matoran left the Great Valley, life for the dinosaurs seems to have returned to normal. Then, after a sudden event, the gang find themselves in the Matoran universe, but on a desolate island inhabited by a different population of Matoran. They then meet the six Toa they had heard about in stories, but never actually met. They learn from the Toa that the Matoran universe is in serious danger. Mata Nui is dying, and the only thing that can save him is the legendary Mask of Life. Despite the Toa's advice, the gang choose not to stand aside, and make their own attempt to find the legendary mask. During their search, they meet some old friends in a way neither of the two groups had ever expected. From a desolate island to the bottom of the ocean, with their unity threatened, the return of an enemy, and the loss of a friend, can the gang handle the challenges of the Matoran Universe? Eventually, the gang finally meet their old friend, Takua, but the reunion is short lived. The final battle to save the Matoran universe is about to begin, and Takua and the gang are needed in an important place for the battle. It is then that the gang are told about why they were brought to the Matoran universe and of the true power of the Energy Stones they carry. The ultimate outcome of that battle will leave everyone shocked. Later on, in an attempt to go back to their home, the gang ends up stranded on a desert world, where they eventually meet and befriend Mata Nui himself. What challenges will they face? Will they succeed? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the next part of the legend.

**Quest for the Mask of Life**

coming in fall 2010


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